Cameron
by Megan666
Summary: What if Sam had a sister? What if she was different? What if she wasn't normal? What is she...wasn't on his side?
1. Mission City

Something was up with Sam. He was acting strangely. Ever since he's got that new car, everything's gone downhill. First he gets arrested in the middle of the night, mom's bike in some junkyard, his car missing, and dad won't even tell me what happened. I listened to him talk to mom in their room about it, but I barely heard their muffled talk. So mom goes to retrieve her bike the next day, and Sam's freaking out in his room, mumbling to himself about this possessed car. Once mom comes back with her bike, Sam grabs it and takes it yet again to get away from this guy driving his car chasing him down. So I do the usual little sister thing and follow him and the car on my bike, only to follow him into this parking lot and have a cop car transform into this pissed-off looking kick-ass robot. So the car saves him, this random girl named Mikaela, and I get into his car and get into this police car chase and soon Sam's car also transforms into this bad-ass yet cute looking robot and beats up the other robot. Then we meet a bunch of other robots after seeing them in their meteor-forms crash on Earth and go back home to get my great-great-grandfather's glasses. Pretty soon a bunch of these weird guys in suits show up at our house and take us somewhere, but the Autobots gets us back, until they take Sam's car, Bumblebee, away. The guys in the suits, Sector Seven, take us to the Hoover Damn to see Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, frozen in their basement like a popsicle. After watching some giant cube magic, we go to Mission City to hide the cube from the Decepticons. After a battle in Mission City, many lives taken (including Jazz's), an amazing building dive, Bumblebee's legs getting blown off, and Sam transferring the cube's energy to Megatron's chest that kills him, we all go home to call it a day. The Autobots live in secrecy among us, waiting for more Decepticons to kill and new Autobots to welcome, and as I sit up in my room writing this, I now know why Sam was acting so weirdly. Anyone would.

Cameron closed the diary and let out a sigh. _There, _she thought. _I did it, finally done. _She has been wanting to get this off of her chest for over a year. She heard online that one of the best ways to get things off your chest was to write it on paper and then burn in either outside or in a fireplace. She sat on her bed for a few moments before ripping the page out, putting the diary back, and lazily stuffing the paper somewhere in one of her drawers.

Cameron glanced at the clock on her bedside table; 3:14 AM. She laid back down on her bed, head resting on a fluffy pillow, reaching over to turn the light off. She needed sleep, she thought, for she hasn't gotten any all night, her mind and body refusing sleep until she cleared herself. But as she continued to lie on her warm and cozy bed, she still could not go to sleep.

Cameron's mind began to drift to the events in Mission City. Each Autobot showed a tremendous amount of strength and willpower, each playing a significant role in the defeat of Megatron.

Optimus defeated the Decepticon Bonecrusher on the highway to Mission City, joining the fight a little later on and getting into a brawl with Megatron. He was injured but survived the ordeal to catch Sam from the building fall, scaling down the side before Megatron knocks into him and sends all of us hurling to the ground to no one's liking. He continues the brawl with Megatron before Sam stuffs the cube into Megatron's spark.

Then there's Ironhide. He and Bumbebee hold up a truck to fend off Starscream's bombs to little or no avail. He goes on to protect Sam until he reaches the building, carrying Jazz's dismembered body to Optimus. Ratchet pretty much stays by Ironhide the whole time, protecting Sam and fixing everyone in the end, except for Jazz, who gets ripped in half by a certain Decepticon leader.

But Bumblebee was good for a scout. From being rescued from Sector Seven's torture experiments, to performing magic on the cube, driving Sam, Mikaela, and herself to Mission City, having his legs blown off, and defeating that tank dude anyway. And they just call him a scout.

Blinking hard and escaping her thoughts, Cameron turns on the lamp on her bedside table and looks at the time; 5:11. It couldn't have been. Unfazed, Cameron got up and looked at herself in the mirror.

Horrid. Disgusting. Pitiful. Depressing. They could all describe how she looked, reflecting the way she felt. Her sandy blonde hair looked brown from not being washed or really looked at in days, frizzing and standing up all over the place. Her normally sparkling green eyes were a dull grass green, and the whites of her eyes were red, from not sleeping or showering. Her tan skin was practically bone white, and her pajamas were crumpled and dirty and smelly from not changing in a while. Her body, usually a little plump, seemed as if the fat were sucked from a straw, for she now was bony, and her ribcage was visible if she lifter up her shirt.

Shaking her head, she messily grabs a random shirt, a pair of pants, undergarments, and a pair of socks. She quietly went from her room to the upstairs bathroom she shares with Sam (as her parents share the other one connected to their room) and put her clothes on the countertop. She stripped off her clothes and put them in the hamper, turning on the shower and getting in.

Cameron moaned. It felt so good to shower again. She hasn't showered in…4 days, the last time she checked. She made sure to put an extra amount of shampoo and conditioner in her hair, really scrubbing it all in, before taking a shower brush and putting a glob of body wash on it and scrubbing almost every inch of her body. And it felt _so good. _

Once she was done, she turned off the shower and dressed quickly, trying to avoid the cold air. Not even bothering to dry her hair, she put it in a bun and headed to her room again. She checked the clock; 5:49. Cameron went downstairs.

Halfway down the stairs she smelled the sweet smell of Sunday morning breakfast. It's not that her family belonged to any sort of religion or anything, but every Sunday morning her parents have taken to making sausages, eggs and bacon for breakfast. Cameron clutched her stomach-it's also been 4 days since she ate anything, too.

Ending the last step with a little jump, she smiled and yelled, "Smells good, guys!" She headed into the open kitchen to the right.

Her mom was bent over the laptop on the island, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to decipher something. Her father was dishing out some scrambled eggs on four plates, a cowlick in his hair. He glanced over at her. "Good morning, sleepy head."

"'Goomernin," her mother mumbled, typing furiously away at her laptop.

"We heard you taking a shower this morning, finally," her father stated. "Your mother and I both took showers after you and still finished before you. I take it you've missed showering?" Father and daughter shared a smile, father out of joke and daughter out of force. "You know, just because it's summer doesn't mean you can't do things like showering."

"I know," Cameron stated with a wave of her hand, still smiling and retaining her act. Inside she was really too depressed to care about anything. "But I don't like getting wet."

"Stupid excuse." Her father put her plate down on the island, along with a glass of orange juice and a bottle of ketchup. "Now eat up."

Cameron literally had to hold herself back from running to her plate and shoving all the food in her mouth at once and down her throat. She felt as if she were walking through water and she made her way over to the stool gingerly sat down. Even though she was eating her breakfast slowly, she finished it in record time and turned around in time to see her brother walking down the stairs.

Sam has changed a lot since the battle at Mission City. For one, he had a cut along the top of his left eyebrow from a stray shard of glass from the building dive. He went from looking like a 14 year old 16 year old to looking like an actual almost-18 year old. His hair grew out and he got tanner, also gaining a little muscle and losing a bit of fat on him. A part of Cameron missed her stupid brother before the Autobots, before Mission City, and wished she could have him back, but she couldn't. Another thing _they _took from her.

"Hey, guys," said Sam, sitting next to Cameron as his father put his plate down. But as soon as he sat down, Cameron slid off her stool, her finished plate in hand, and set the plate down in the sink.

Cameron exited the room, ignoring Sam's comment about her sudden urge to get up and leave, and headed up to her room to slip on a pair of shoes. She made her way down the stairs and, without even looking at her parents, stated, "I'm going to the park."

She went into the dining room, knowing that she always left her cell phone on the dining room table for some reason. But when she entered the dining room, it wasn't there. Groaning, she played back the events of last night in her mind.

"_Hey, Cammy!" shouted Sam. "Come here! Look at what Bee can do!"_

"_Okay!" she yelled back, hanging up her phone and putting on her happy voice she got so used to doing._

_Cameron headed downstairs and to the backyard where Sam was smiling at her, gesturing towards the black and yellow robot behind him. Bee stood at his whole 20 foot height, his arms on his hips, looking down at his 17 year old charge's 10 year old, 5'2" sister, who looked up at him, beaming, a robo-smile on his face. _

"_What?" she asked Sam and listened to how he has been throwing things in the air for Bee to shoot._

"…_and we're up to 18 things now," Sam was saying. "Wanna see?"_

_No. "Sure!"_

"_Okay, just stand over there, by the garage, yes, a little to the left-no my left, not your left. No watch." Cameron watched as Bee steadied himself, watching as Sam flung the first piece of random scrap metal into the air, and pretty soon 17 more after that._

_Bee charged his plasma cannon, shooting at all of the scrap metal, big and small, before they hit the ground, while his charge moved to a safe distance away. When he was done, he turned to Cameron and smiled again, listening to how his charge was bragging about him and commenting how cool that was. Sam then paused to ask if Cameron could go into the garage and get more scrap metal for him to fling into the air._

_"We're trying to get to at least 20," he stated with a smile._

"_Okay, sure," Cameron said before going into the garage and getting some metal off of the counter. Her knees almost buckled with the weight of the metal, and to top it off, something was in her jeans pocket that was being pushed further into her thigh. Putting the metal down and taking it out, she realized it was just her phone. She put her phone down on the table and once again picked up all the metal, sighing before going back to Sam and Bee…_

_That was it! _she thought. _I left it in the…garage. Bee's in the garage…_

Cameron groaned at the thought of encountering the Autobot as she headed towards to garage to get her phone. She opened the door and stepped inside.

A bright and shiny (well, it should be bright and shiny, for Sam washes Bee every weekend) black and yellow 2010 Camaro sat in the garage, patiently. As soon as it saw her it seemed to bounce up on its wheels. _"Goooooooood mornin'!" _came from it's radio. _"And how are you today, hun?"_

Cameron almost cringed. She disliked Bee, disliked all of the Autobots in fact. And the fact that Bee just called her 'hun' made her burn inside, her heart flaring with hatred. He could've-he's done it before-he could have took off the 'hun' part-he could take off any part of any recording he wanted, but he left the 'hun' part on. Who was Bee to call her 'hun'? Was she overreacting?

"Hey, Bee," she said in a droned-out tone. "Just came to get my phone." She walked over to the table and snatched her phone, shoving it in her pocket. Cameron turned around and faced Bee. "So how are you?"

"_All fine and dandy here," _Bee chided. _"And where are _you _going?"_

"To the park. Well, uh, see ya!" She closed the garage door, without slamming it, and began to walk to the park, thinking things over.

Have you ever felt stupid at yourself? Have you ever hated yourself for doing something stupid? That's the way Cameron felt right now. She felt stupid at herself. She didn't really want to hate the Autobots. She really didn't. She wanted to like them and laugh with them. But something in her heart made her not be able to like them. Her heart flared just at the thought of them. And then something in the back of her head told her to stop being so stupid, that they were the enemy, and to stay away from them. All of this was beyond her control. Why did she hate them so much?

_I'll tell you why, _said a voice in her head. _They stole from you._

_What? _she asked the voice.

_They took your life away from you, your brother, your mom, your dad, and even your freedom. They hurt you, both emotionally and physically, at the Mission City battle. They were just using you. They lied about trying to protect you. And now-look at you. You're going insane._

_No I'm not! How dare you!_

I'm _you!_

Cameron just shook her head and leaned against the big oak tree at the park. _Impossible._

_Oh, but it is possible, _the voice stated. _I am you. I am trying to save _us _from going completely insane over these stupid robots._

Cameron stayed silent. The she spoke, _Is it you that has been giving me these thoughts?_

_For the last time, I _AM _you! Try to falter from going insane, will ya?_

And with that, she didn't hear from the voice again.

Am _I going insane? _She asked herself. _Or am I just…thinking Decepticon?_


	2. Egypt

_It's been 3 years now since the other battle, the one in Egypt. The Decepticons struck again, this time when Sam was in college. Apparently, Sam had touched a remnant of the Allspark and he got zapped with a Cybertronian map to the Sun Harvester. Mikaela and I met up with him at his college, PCIU, saved him from Alice the Decepticon pretender, got taken to Starscream and the resurrected Megatron, saved by Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, where Megatron, Starscream, some Decepticon dude, and Optimus fought and Optimus got killed. Then the Fallen came to Earth to seek revenge and crap. Mikaela, Sam, Leo, the Twins, Bumblebee and I went to Simmons, then to this museum and resurrected Jetfire. He took us to Egypt where we found the Matrix, hid from some Decepticons, watched Sam die and come back to life, dodged bullets and bombs, and resurrected Optimus Prime, where he killed the Fallen. Megatron, Starscream, and some more Decepticons fled to God-knows where, but the Autobots and NEST are trying their best to find them. My point in writing another one of these diary entries is to wonder why a few things have happened during the Egypt battle. For one, why did seeing Optimus die not bother me so much? Why did I feel nothing-no grief, no sorrow-when he died? And why did I hate Optimus, Bumblebee, and the other Autobots so much when Sam died? And why is it that I have the urge to just go find the Decepticons myself? What would I even do if I met them again-say hello? What's wrong with me? Why can't I_

Cameron stopped writing and glanced up, looking around her 'room'. She was sitting on her bed, crisscross, journal on lap. Cameron put her pencil down beside her, unable to finish the question. She tore out the page to her journal and put it in the trash, then put the journal and pencil back where they belonged.

Cameron headed back to her bed and thought about her brother, Sam. Well, he went back to PCIU and finished college. He also got a medal from Obama himself, shortly after the battle at Egypt. Also, Mikaela dumped him for some reason, right when he went back to college. Sam met some British chick named Carly Spencer and started dating her, then moved in with her and Wheelie and Brains. Her parents took her on a tour in their previously-bought RV, and they're headed towards Sam and Carly's house to drop her off and stay there for the rest of their trip, until they get done with whatever the hell they are doing and take her back home with them. Right now they're about 2 days away(even though they told Sam 4-they wanted to make it a 'surprise')from Sam and Carly's house, and Sam just sounds _so _ecstatic about it.

"Really? You're coming over?" he had asked with a tone of dread on their last phone call conversation. "4 days from now? And you're leaving _Cameron _with us?"

"Yep!" Cameron stated, since he was on speaker. "I'm staying with you are your fiancé until further notice."

Her parents giggled when Sam sighed and said, "She's not my fiancé…yet."

"Well, when are you going to pop the question?" her mother asks.

"When I get the ring, and I'll get the ring when I have enough money to."

So they were probably going to marry soon. And the only thing Cameron hated even more than the Autobots were weddings. Life was just so fun for her right now.

Cameron got under the covers of her bed and turned off the light, snuggling against the pillow. Her mind drifted to the Autobots, her heart flaring, as she fell into a deep, deep sleep.

_Cameron opened her eyes. She was in a desert with nothing in sight but sand. A lot of sand. Hills of sand. Sand, sand, sand. No sign of civilization or anything. She looked around, turning her head this way and that. Absolutely nothing in sight, nothing at-_

_ Wait. What was that? What _is _that? It looks like a big, black figure in the distance. She got up and walked towards it, the black figure getting bigger and bigger with each step until she soon was standing underneath it. "Hello?" she asked, her voice scratchy, her throat burning._

_ The figure didn't move. She became a little frightened. "Hello?" she asked it, a little bit louder this time. _

_ The figure turned so abruptly Cameron gasped and lost her balance, sitting in the sand once again. It looked so menacing as it stared at her, so horrifying…so familiar. Where had she seen this face last?_

Egypt, _something told her. _Think back to Egypt.

_She thought and thought and thought until it finally hit her and she gasped, staring right at the creature's face as it smiled down at her with only half of one. _Megatron.

Cameron opened her eyes to the feeling of moving underneath her. "Oh hello, honey," said the familiar voice of her mother. "You're finally awake. You were moving a lot in your sleep. Did you have a nightmare?"

Cameron sat up on her bed and looked around. Her mother sat in the passenger seat of the RV, her father at the wheel, both wearing ridiculous looking matching green jogging outfits. Her father's eyes were focused on the road, and her mother's on her.

Cameron sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, I guess," she said. "What time is it?"

"It's about 9:30. What was your dream about?"

Cameron debated over telling her or not. But, what harm could come to it? "I woke up in a desert in the middle of nowhere and I saw Megatron."

Her father's hands clutched the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white and her mother gasped. _"Horrible dream," _her mother said, turning to her father. "Right, Ron?"

"Now why the hell would you have a dream about Megatron?" asked her father, clearly pissed. "Have you seen any Decepticons lately?"

"No," Cameron said, hopping out of her bed and heading over to her parents. "Not any, unless one of you are pretenders." She laughed to herself. Her parents didn't join in. "I'm hungry. Where are we going?"

"To get something to eat," her mother answered. "A nice restaurant for breakfast, just this once. Oh, there's one up there, Ron! Turn in. We need gas, too."

Cameron rolled her eyes and slipped on some shoes, following her mother and father as they exited the RV and went in to go get some food. Once they got their food, they sat down by the window and ate. Her mom has a stack of pancakes, her dad waffles, and she got herself a salad, recently becoming a vegetarian. They sat there eating, talking about the trip, about Sam, about her living arrangements.

"Are you excited?" her mother asked her.

"Oh, sure," she answered. "Everyone wants to live with their brother and his fiancé while her parents go off around the freaking U.S. for God knows why-"

"It's a vacation," her father reminded her. "A vacation."

"Well, I call it mid-life crisis," she retorted, snorting. She stuffed a giant lettuce into her mouth and said, "They better not do it while I'm there."

"Now, honey," her mother began, "ladies don't talk with their mouth full. Chew, swallow-yeah, that's it. Now, what did you say?"

Cameron swallowed. "Nothing," she said, reaching for a napkin and wiping the dressing off her lips and chin. "How far away are we?"

"We should be there at eight AM, only because your father thinks we should wait until the morning." Her mother rolled her eyes.

Swallowing the last of his first burger, he said, "It's the right thing to do. If I were him, I wouldn't want my parents and little sister to arrive at me and my girlfriend's house at night. It won't kill us to wait until morning."

"Oh, c'mon. You just don't want to see our little Sammie." Cameron cringed. She was 'her little Cammie.'

"You're half right. Now get out, I have to piss."

"Ron! People can hear you."

"They'll also see me piss my pants if you won't let me out. Move."

Cameron laughed as her mom got up and her father scooted out, heading towards the men's bathroom. She took a mouthful more of lettuce and turned to her mom as she addressed her.

"Hey, Cammie, can you go get my wallet in the RV, please? I think I left it in there." She handed Cameron the keys to the RV. "And come back."

She rolled her eyes. "No, mom, I won't come back. I'll take the RV to Mexico and marry some dude there and have his babies, leaving you to figure out what the hell happened. Gosh." She got up, turning to put another mouthful of salad in her mouth before she left the table, exiting the restaurant.

The RV unlocked with a click, headlights flashing, and she stepped inside, looking around for her mom's wallet. Spotting it, she snatched it up, heading outside and slamming the door, locking the RV.

Cameron was about to turn to go back to the restaurant when she froze. Her legs wouldn't move, wouldn't let her control them. Instinct took over and she turned to the left, towards the little woods there was behind the restaurant, behind the parking lot where the RV was parked. She just stood there, staring, a blank expression on her face.

_Why the hell am I looking at this? _she asked herself. _Is the freaking chainsaw massacre dude going to come out of the woods to kill me? Turn around and go back to the restaurant._

She said the command over again in her head, yet her legs didn't obey. She continued to stare, waiting for something in the woods to come out, waiting, waiting. Finally, she heard something. She twitched. _Was that…was that a chuckle?_

She walked towards the woods. Wait, now. Wasn't this how the stupid, naïve girl got killed in the movies, all of the time? She shouldn't be doing this, but, something in the back of her head just told her to keep walking.

So she kept on walking towards the woods until she came to a stop where asphalt meets grass. Something moved in the trees, causing a branch to shake and a leaf to come off, swaying in the wind before coming to a rest on the ground right beside her. When Cameron looked up, she was face to face with a creature that looked at her with an eyeful of lust. She looked right back.


	3. Surprise Visit

"Hello, human," it said, it's voice screechy. It had a long neck, a little head, and a beak. It was about the size of one of those California condors that Cameron heard of. It's whole body was a shiny black, and it had some sort of wings and a tail, with big feet. Big feet with sharp claws, clinging to a branch in front of her.

Cameron didn't know who it was, but she knew one thing-it was Cybertronian, and _definitely _not an Autobot.

"What do you want?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes. She knew the first rule that came to Decepticons was that you should _never _piss them off. The ones that did never lasted long. But for some reason, she knew it wouldn't hurt her, or it already would have done so.

"What do _I _want?" it asked, circling around her before landing back on the branch. "Stupid human, _you _came over to _me."_

"Well _you _were stalking _me, _so, spill it." The tone of her voice never changed, but she grew increasingly scared for her life with every word.

It chuckled, shaking its head. "I'm on a mission." As the creature spoke, Cameron noticed that it's words were never hesitated, as if it's speech was rehearsed. But the thing that frightened her most was that it seemed to enjoy this.

"What mission?" asked Cameron, her voice a little too high-pitched for her liking.

"That is need to know, and right now, you don't." It chuckled. "For now. You will know in time."

The creature gave an evil smirk before turning and flying away, chuckling into the darkness.

"Wait!" Cameron cried out. "Wait! What the hell? Come back! At least…tell me your name…" Cameron stared out into the trees, hoping to creature would come back, explain things. Maybe it knew something. _Oh, who am I kidding? _Cameron asked herself. _It _does _know something. Something about me._

Cameron stared for a few more moments before turning and heading back towards the restaurant, hoping that was the last time she encountered that…_Decepticon. _A few feet away from the restaurant door it opened, revealing a woman in a green jogging suit. Her mom.

"What the hell took you so long, Cammie?" she asked, hands on hips, clearly frustrated. Cameron was already thinking up excuses in her head, her heart pounding, hoping her mother didn't catch her talking to a Decepticon. "They're keeping your father in the restaurant until I pay the bill. They've almost called the cops."

"Sorry about that," she said, making a 'what-can-you-do?' smile. "It took me a while to find your damn wallet." She handed her mother the wallet and started following her inside. "Sorry." She kind of found the situation quite funny, but she'd never tell.

They went inside and paid the bill to a very pissed off restaurant, got some gas at the nearest gas station, and were on the road again. Cameron sat on her bed, legs crossed, back against the wall, listening to music on her phone. Her parents were up front, her mom driving, her dad teaching her. They maybe swerved a little, switched lanes like some confused English dude in America, but nothing completely bad.

Cameron gripped the bed and shook her head when they made another swerve, the noise up front increasing in volume. The music in her headphones stopped playing for a second, someone blaring, "You gotta text! You gotta text! You gotta text!" playing over again. She checked her text messages and saw that her best friend, Tiara Smith, texted her. The song "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 started playing again as she read the text.

**BFF Tiara: **_hey there Camster whatcha doin?_

Cameron smiled, shaking her head as she replied.

**Cammieee: **_still on the trip almost at sams u?_

She patiently waited for a few moments, bopping her head to the music as she waited for the reply. A few seconds later, she did.

**BFF Tiara: **_nothing much going on here. saw a girl standing up 2 a bully, reminded me of u :)_

Cameron's smile faded as she thought of Tiara and her before they were friends, her mind replaying the events in her head like a home movie.

**2 Years Ago**

_"Hey, have you seen the new girl?" asked her old friend, Taylor. "She's such a goth. Look." Taylor pointed to another lunch table and Cameron followed her finger._

_ There, sitting a few tables down from them was a girl eating her lunch by herself. She was African-American, with her hair in braids, back in a ponytail. She wore black and white converse and black pants, her smartphone so obviously sticking out of her pocket. She wore a baggy black T-shirt, the band 'Evanescence' printed on the front. Cameron smiled._

Hey, I like that band, too, _she thought._

"_Meet Tiara, the school's new freak!" Taylor proclaimed, she and the others at their table laughing. "Stupid goth," she mumbled, sending a few of her friends at the table bursting into another round of laughter. _

"_I don't know what's so bad about her," Cameron stated, turning back to Taylor. "She looks kinda nice. And I like Evanescence, too." _

"_Are you serious?" Taylor asked, smiling. "She's a fucking freak. No one likes her stupid ass."_

"_Jesus, Taylor," Cameron said, shaking her head. "Watch your fucking language." She and Taylor laughed at that, turning back around to eat their food._

_Next Wednesday Cameron stayed to watch Taylor during cheerleading practice. She has only heard the good things about cheerleading from Taylor, so she was thinking about joining, but wanted to watch a practice first. So far Taylor did some stretching that Cameron didn't even know was possible and hoped to never have to do. Right now they were making a pyramid thing but kept on failing. _

_She barely contained a laugh as they made it halfway up the pyramid but fell on top of each other. She nearly jumped a foot in the air as someone behind her blew up in guffaws. She turned around to find it was that new girl-what the hell was her name? Tiara?-nearly crying she was laughing so hard._

_Fuming, Taylor made her way over to Tiara. Cameron has now known Taylor for about 3 years now, and she knew to stay away from her when she was _that _ticked off. Only extreme rage can come from one of a blonde. Cameron cringed, waiting for the-_

"_What the _fuck _are you laughing at, huh?"_

_-and there it was._

_Tiara stopped laughing but held a huge smile on her face. "Sorry, but that was a little funny."_

"_What did you find funny about that, huh? What the hell did you find so goddamn funny about pain?"_

_Tiara shook her head. "Y'all are trying too hard." She looked at Taylor's eyes. "What you should do is-"_

"_Don't tell me what I should do! You don't know anything about cheerleading!"_

_Cameron snorted. "Cheerleading is not so important, you know." She got up from her bench and walked over. "It's just cheerleading, dammit. And maybe you should listen to constructive criticism to-"_

"_Shut the fuck up, Cameron!" Taylor turned to her. "Go sit back down and wait until I get back. This is between the _big _girls now."_

_Okay, _wow. _No one talked to her like that. "Uh, Taylor?" She asked. "Don't tell me what to do."_

_Tiara laughed again, taking a step towards Cameron. "I like you," she said, smiling at Cameron. Cameron smiled back._

"_What the hell!" shrieked Taylor, hurting their ears. "What the hell are you-"_

"_Taylor?" asked Tiara. "Take your friend's advice and shut up." She turned back to Cameron. "Want a ride home?"_

"_Yes, please," she replied, following Tiara out of the football field._

"_Fine, go, you stupid asshole!" yelled Taylor. "I don't need you anyway."_

"_I hope you know what you're doing," whispered Cameron. "I can only protect you so much from her."_

"_Trust me. I'm 16. I think I can deal with a bitchy 12 year old cheerleader."_

_They got in the car-a beat up red Audo-Cameron in the passenger seat, Tiara driving. "Don't forgot blonde," she said. They both laughed, Cameron guiding Tiara to her house. They were inseparable since._

Cameron then smiled at the memory, texting back to Tiara.

**Cammieee: **_oh?_

**BFF Tiara: **_yea she yelled at da bully then pushed her and ran away b4 she got pwned_

**Cammieee: **_lol. hey can I ask u somethin?_

**BFF Tiara: **_for a dollar ;)_

**Cammieee: **_oh sthu lol. but im serious_

**BFF Tiara: **_yea i was jk what is it?_

**Cammieee: **_ever been in a situation when u wanna tell some1 something but ur not sure how theyll take it?_

**BFF Tiara: **_yes. Is that where ur headin? listen. If its something important and dangerous u tell, hear me? even if it's a promise u must break it. just ask ur conscience-he'll agree with me_

**Cammieee: **_oh god Tiara lol, its not like that though. besides, y the hell would my conscience be a he when imma girl? o.O_

**BFF Tiara: **_maybe hes a perv, I dunno. Lol but I know u'll do da rite thing_

**Cammieee: **_thnx Tiara_

**BFF Tiara: **_yw gtg bi :)_

Sighing, Cameron turned off her phone and put it on the bed. Tiara and Cameron have been friends for just 2 years, but it felt like an eternity. She was the one person in the world that knew her the best. Maybe that's why her heart sank when she told her that she 'knew she would do the right thing.' Cameron herself probably thought she's screw up and someone else would fix it for her, like always. But not with something that involved the Decepticons.

The Autobots are too busy playing with NEST. Sam was too busy finding his way with Carly. Her parents were too busy having a mid-life crisis. The only person that s_he _knew would do the right thing in a situation like this was Tiara. She had so much intellect and perseverance that it surprised her she didn't find out about Bumblebee, about how he has been living in her garage for years now.

Things just weren't right. When would they ever go right for her? 'I know you'll do the right thing.' _Sure, _she thought. _That's bullcrap. _If she were to ever do the right thing, she'd have helped the Autobots more, or even called up NEST and told them about the Decepticon. But she didn't, because she has done nothing right in her entire life. At least, in her eyes.

And then she did what she always did in her life when things were going bad-she turned the music up.


	4. Finally There

Chapter 4

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"We there yet?"

"No."

"Well are we there _now?"_

"NO. Stop asking."

_"But why can't we be there yet?"_

"Cameron, if you don't stop, so help me I'll throw you out and leave you on the side of the road!"

Cameron groaned loudly. She has been in this RV travelling the U.S. for exactly 1 month, 3 weeks, and 4 days. She was so bored now no words could describe it. She has read all of the 4 books she brought along with her, has played all of the games on .com, and has listened to all of the songs out there-new and old-at least 10 times each. She was _bored._

"We're almost there!" her father shouted. "It's just about a half hour away! Just sit back and listen to music or something. Look at me-I'm not complaining, and my ass hurts from sitting on this goddamn seat for over three hours!"

She rolled her eyes at her father for being such a wuss. She has been arguing with her father for the past few minutes on how long the trip would take and if they were there yet. Even though they were about a half hour away, she couldn't wait to get off the goddamn RV. She just wanted to be home, hang out with Tiara, play with Tiara's dog-a Great Dane named Bulk-or go to the movies with her friends and be obnoxious and throw popcorn at people until they got kicked out. She was amazed they didn't get thrown out of there for good. She just thought that the theater people liked seeing the reactions of the movie-goers when they were slapped with a Twizzler on the face or have popcorn shoved down their shirt, that Cameron and her friends were just kicked out so they didn't get sued or something.

Cameron smiled at the memory. They all dared one of her friends to shove popcorn down some poor woman's shirt. It filled up her bra to make it look like she had a third boob. Ha!

But it was not that she didn't want to go see her brother and Carly. Her smile faded. _No, _she thought. _I actually _don't _want to see this Sam and that British chick Carly. _Her heart dropped as she thought of her brother all those years ago, when he told her that he wanted to become a newsman and followed her all around the house saying her actions in that stereotypical deep newsman voice into a foam microphone. Then when he turned 15, he said he wanted to become a professional football player. She watched him at the tryouts and been by his side when the coach called their mother because he'd been in a bad tackle at the beginning of the tryouts. But when the Autobots arrived, he wanted to become a soldier in NEST. It screamed NOT SAM, but she smiled anyway and told him, "You'd be great for that job, Sammy." He's still trying, and she's still supporting her brother, hoping this is just a stage and going back to that newsman job. DC needed newsman, didn't it?

And Carly. Oh _god, _don't even get her started on Carly. Carly disgusted her. To Cameron, Carly was no more than a slut. She wasn't even smart. She just dressed in slutty clothes to get jobs or something. And that accent. It was third on her list of things she hated. Weddings, the Autobots, and British accents. It annoyed her to no end. When she talked to Sam over the phone, she heard him start to call Carly 'Cee.' It wasn't fair! Sam always called her Cee when they were younger, and now he doesn't call her that anymore. No, apparently now he's calling Carly 'Cee.'

Cameron knew she was being childish, for it was just a nickname. But as the nickname left, so did the mind of her brother. He was turned into a completely different person since the Autobots, and it never left her mind.

Oh, crap. Headache. Cameron groaned again, heading to the bathroom to get some Advil. Whenever she thought about things too much, a raging headache would soon follow.

Cameron snorted aloud. And her father thought that she didn't think.

She took two pills, put the bottle back and shoved the pills in her mouth, getting a handful of water from the sink and downing them. She winced, feeling the two pills slowly go down her throat, taunting her. Cameron hated when that happened, but hey, what can you do?

Exiting the bathroom and closing the door behind her, she made herself a half-full glass of water (not a full glass of water-there are many bumps and potholes on the roads that they took) and stood behind the driver's seat.

"Back," she said, taking a sip of water.

"We're exactly 23 minutes away," her mother stated, waving her iPhone in front of her face. Cameron growled-she absolutely cannot people waving crap in her face. "iPhone magic! And stop growling-you're never going to get a boyfriend that way."

"Honey, would you just stop?" her father asked.

"Yeah, mom. Please," she added. "And I growl because you wave crap in my face. I told you that I absolutely positively completely cannot stand crap like that. But you do it anyways."

"I just forget. Can a woman forget things? Geesh." Her mother shook her head and looked at her phone again. "Oh! 22 minutes left!"

_"Thanks,_ mom," she groaned, rolling her eyes. "Just tell us when we're 10 minutes away, at least. Okay? Can you do that?"

"Fine. I get it. You don't want my help." Her mother threw her phone in her purse.

"No, honey-" her father began before Cameron walked away, shutting them out. She set her drink down in the fridge (not on the counter-again, many bumps and potholes) and laid down on her bed, pulling out her iPhone. She began playing Angry Birds, trying to defeat level 16. "You pigs are going down," she mumbled, turning the volume up a little bit when the front of the RV got a little louder.

After a few minutes, she let out an aggravated yell. "Ohmygod! _Why won't you stupid pigs just freaking die!"_

"Honey?" her mom asked.

Cameron turned to her. "Yeah?" she asked innocently, her voice returning to normal.

"What are you yelling about?"

"These stupid green pigs. They don't give you enough birds to kill them!"

Her mother's eyes furrowed before she let out an 'Oooooooooh.' "You're playing Angry Birds, aren't you?" She laughed when Cameron nodded. "Well, there's ten minutes left until we're there, so if you didn't pack anything else, you may want to do it now."

Cameron nodded, turning off her phone and sitting up, looking around. She was packed already, so what now? She got up and put her phone in the side pocket of her miniature black backpack. She went to the bathroom again, going one more time before turning and looking at herself in the mirror.

She's gotten better since the last time she really evaluated herself. Her skin used to be a sickish white, but now it was slightly tanned. Her eyes were a dull grass green, but now they seemed to be a sparkling mint, some little blue flecks thrown into there, too. Her lips were full and red, and her smile radiated. Her hair had returned back to life, the color coming alive again-a flowing, bright sandy blonde. She went from being 92 pounds to being 106 pounds, gaining just the right amount of fat back on her bones, protecting her if she ever got hurt again.

A muffled, "We're here, Cameron!" brought her from her thoughts and she exited the bathroom, putting on her backpack and grabbing onto both of her luggages. Her heart raced, and she fidgeted from one foot to the other.

_I'm meeting Sam, _she thought, biting on her bottom lip. _I'm meeting Sam after all this time again. What will he say? What will he do?_

Cameron felt the sudden and familiar lurch of the RV, signaling their stop. She immediately opened the door, struggling her things out and looking about herself.

They were parked in an alleyway, the big RV barely fitting, the car on the platform attached to the RV parked a little outside of the alleyway. Why were they in an alleyway? Did Sam live in an apartment?

_Huh. I thought he lived in a house._

"Oh-would you just-hold on!" Cameron turned around and laughed, watching her mom and dad struggle out the door at the same time. Only _they _could do something as stupid as that.

The sound of a squeaking door opening made Cameron turn around quickly. Her parents stopped their struggling for a second to look up.

A man came out of the door. He was wearing jeans and the top half of a suit. He held his coffee in one hand, his other hand gripping some documents. The man's jacket hung from his mouth, and as he looked up at the people in front of him, it dropped from his mouth. His eyes widened. He muttered an, "Oh, no," before turning around and going back through the door he came out of.

_That's my Sam, _Cameron thought, smiling.

"Oh, Sammie!" her mother called out, pushing her father aside and walking out of the RV first.

Sam came back through the door with a bad poker face. "Hey, mom, dad," he said, looking at them both. "You're early."

"Hellooooo," Cameron hollered, waving her hands. Sam looked at her. "I'm here, too."

"We just decided to come early to surprise you!" her mother boasted. "Surprise!"

Sam smiled a weak smile. "Yeah, yeah…surprise-you're supposed to be here in, like, 4 days, though. Why?"

"Like she just said," her father began. "To surprise you. Your mother's idea."

Sam nodded, understanding. It w_as _Judy, after all. Judy was Judy-you can't change that, no matter how much you want to.

"Where are you going?" asked her mother. "Oooo, are you going to your job? Going to work? Oh, I love that-our little boy, all grown up, having a job and going to work-"

"No, mom," Sam stated, cutting her off. "I'm going…to an interview."

Cameron stifled a laugh, looking at her parents. They froze, all tense.

"Oh…an interview." Her mother nodded. "That's okay. You almost have a job."

"Yeah," added her father. "Three months outta college and still no job."

"Oh, hey," her mother said instantly, hitting her father on the stomach, a disapproving look on her face.

Cameron sighed and shook her head, bending down and picked up Sam's coat. She drowned out their bickering and tossed the jacket to Sam, grabbing her luggage and heading to the door. Looking back to see them still fighting, she groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Hey, yo!" she called, getting their attention. "If you aren't too busy fighting, can I go put my crap away now?"

"Oh, god!" Sam groaned, throwing his head back into the air. "I'm not ready for your stay!"

The color in Cameron's face disappeared, turning to red. But Sam just shook his head and started walking. Leaving her luggage, Cameron followed him, trailed by her parents.

Sam pushed a button on a set of keys in his hand, opening a garage. He struggled to put on his jacket as the door slowly opened, revealing a yellow, moldy, old car with a single stripe going down the middle.

"Now what's this?" asked her mother, walking towards it. After a minute her father followed, entering the garage, looking strangely at the car.

"My car, mom," stated Sam, finally finished wrestling his jacket on. "Bought it with my own money."

"But where's Bumblebee?"

"Out on missions with NEST." He walked over to the car, getting in the driver's seat and setting his stuff down on the passenger's seat.

"Does it transform into anything?"

"No, mom," Sam sighed. "It doesn't transform. But do you like it?"

"Ah, yes, it's-uh-very nice," her mother commented, nodding her head. "It looks a lot like Bumblebee." Sam tried starting the car, the piece-of-crap making whirring sounds. "If Bumblebee were a sad piece of shit," she finished, her voice almost completely drowned out by the sound of the car.

Sam turned the keys over and over again, grumbling to himself, urging the car to start. When he finally had had enough, he slammed on the wheel, grabbing his things and getting out of the car, slamming the door shut.

"Nice car, Sam," Cameron commented, smiling.

"Shut up," he commanded, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration, checking the time on his watch. "Oh, crap! Okay, if I take the bus, then I may be a little bit late-that is, if I can get him to hurry up, but-"

"Oh, stop with that already!" shouted her mom. "Come on, follow me."

Her mother began walking towards to RV, the whole family in tow. Cameron knew what her mother was about to suggest, but she just wanted to get her things in Sam's apartment already.

"_We'll _drive you!" her mother shouted gleefully, gesticulating towards the car on the platform. Sam groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on! Just this once! It'll all be good!"

Sam sighed, knowing that this was his only good option. "Fine," he said quietly, before clearing his throat and saying, "Fine," more clearly, as if he was learning to accept it.

Cameron watched from the sidelines as her parents rushed to get the car down, fighting with each other and searching for the keys. Once she got bored she turned and watched Sam, really taking him in for the first time in a while.

His dark, curly hair was messy and sticking up all over the place. His eyes looked a little red and he had somewhat of dark eye rings. His clothes were a little bit rumpled and wrinkly. He just looked so _tired. _And it reminded her of how _she_ was some years ago-extremely tired-and how they've seemed to switch places since.

Once her parents got the car down and got in, they motioned for them to get in the car with them.

Cameron groaned, simultaneously yelling, "Oh, no! Can't I just stay here, in his apartment or something? I've had _enough _of traveling!"

Her parents blinked, looking towards Sam as a response. Sam in turn looked at her, narrowing his eyes in concentration.

"Fine," he responded.

Cameron let out a sigh of relief. For some reason she thought he'd say no.

"But _be careful,"_ he warned. "Wheelie and Brains and dumbasses. They almost set the whole house on fire once. And I don't want that or anything else happening to this house, okay? It's actually not mine-it's Carly's, and she'd be pretty pissed if she found out about-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Cameron said, waving her hand. "I get it. No setting the house on fire, 'or anything else.' Lock Wheelie and Brains in a closet. Okay, I got it. Just give me the keys."

Sam fished in his pocket and handed her a key, to which she snatched out of her hands and began walking towards the door. "Which apartment is it?" she called over her shoulder.

"3A!" Sam yelled, getting into the backseat of the car. Cameron walked over to her luggage and opened the door, looking back over her shoulder just once. Her mom was blabbing already-maybe something about the trip-and her dad began driving out of the alleyway. Sam looked as miserable as ever.

She kept on watching them until they disappeared from sight, the feeling of disappointment arose somewhere within her. Cameron took in a deep breath and let it out loudly, closing the door behind her and heading up to 3A.


	5. Apartment Life

Chapter 5

She should have listened with both ears instead of just one.

But when Sam said that Wheelie and Brains were dumbasses, he under-exaggerated.

The second Cameron opened the door and walked inside the apartment, a piece of glass went whizzing by her head.

"Nice going, you dumbaft!" yelled a masculine yet high-pitched voice. "You coulda' hit 'er!"

"What the hell is going on?" asked Cameron, gripping onto her luggage tightly. She took a few cautious steps forward before leaving her luggage on the staircase and walked towards the living room.

Wheelie was there, his hands held up in a defensive position. He was ducking behind one side of a table and Brains was on the other side, holding a glass plate in a throwing position.

"Whoa, whoa," Brains said, setting the plate down on the table. "Who's _this_ chick?"

"It's the sister," said Wheelie, cautiously coming out of his hiding place. "Sammie's little sister. Hey, how's it goin', sis?"

"I'm not your sister," Cameron stated confidently. "Let's get that straight. Secondly-" she glanced over at the broken glass shards by the door "-one of y'all better pick that up, 'cause I'm not gonna. And stop throwin' stuff."

"Hey, I didn't throw it!" Wheelie pointed to Brains. "This guy did! Make _him _pick it up!"

"Hey, what are you-"

"Enough," Cameron declared, silencing Brains. "You guys are Cybertronians. You're above this. Brains, pick it up. Now. Or I'm gonna get a big stick."

"Ooo, feisty!" Brains hollered, laughing. He jumped off the couch he was standing on and started towards the glass mess. "I like feisty!"

Cameron glanced at Wheelie, who shrugged. "I don't even know," he murmured.

Sighing, Cameron went back to her bags and reached to pick them up but froze, turning back to Wheelie. "You know where my room is?" she asked him.

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "Nobody tells me nothin'."

Cameron walked upstairs, mentally reminding herself to tell Sam he's a dumbass. There was a single bedroom up there, all messy, the bed unmade. There was a little bathroom attached to it, but nothing else.

"Sam's a friggin' mess, isn't he?" Cameron yelled out, walking back downstairs.

Wheelie was at the bottom of the stairs, 'supervising' Brains picking up all of the glass. "Oh, yeah. Definitely. You know he makes us sleep outside on the porch with the dog? Even when it's rainin'! Gonna fry my circuits or somethin'."

"Oh, stop complaining," Cameron said. "I don't even _have _a freaking room!"

"Try the couch. It's a comfy couch."

She looked and the couch, then looked at Wheelie. "Then where am I gonna put all my crap, huh?"

"I don't know everything!" Wheelie shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "Ask Sammie-_he'll _know what to do with you."

Cameron turned on him. "He was supposed to have everything ready already! So why doesn't he have it ready?"

"Well," Brains interrupted, arms full of glass, limping over to the trash. "You guys _did _say you's was comin' in three days-"

"-four days," Wheelie exclaimed.

"-and you's came today. Maybe he'd have prepared for you tomorrow, or somethin'."

"I doubt it," Cameron explained, calming down a little. "When we were younger, he always did things earlier than he needed to. Like, there was this one time, he got a project in school and did it that night, even though it was due in a week."

"Well," Wheelie began. "That was when you were little. Times change, people change-"

"-don't I know it," Brains muttered, tossing the glass in the trash and wiping his arms and hands.

"How old are you, again?" Cameron asked, looking at Brains.

"Look," exclaimed Wheelie. "Just sit down on the comfy couch and relax. Geez, you just got here and _already _having a panic attack."

Cameron sighed, silently agreeing. Maybe this was a whole misunderstanding. Maybe she got it all wrong.

Cameron sighed, walking over and flopping down on the couch. Damn, this is a comfy couch. "So?" she asked. Wheelie got up on the couch and joined her, sitting on her right. Brains got on her left.

"So what?" asked Wheelie.

"So, what do we do now? I'm here for, like, a month, maybe even more, and I'm already bored. What do we do now?"

"Well, we could watch Star Trek," suggested Brains.

"Ew, no!" Cameron shivered dramatically. "That show is for the geeky and the elderly."

"No it's not!" said Wheelie and Brains simultaneously.

"Spok is awesome-"

"-the show's awesome-"

Cameron moved her hand, silencing them. "Anything else we could do?"

Wheelie and Brains looked at each other, the shrugged. "There's really nothing to do until they get back," Brains explained.

"Yeah," Wheelie agreed. "They treat us like animals!"

_Animals… _thought Cameron. "Hey, where's Bones?" Cameron got up from her seat on the couch, looking around the house. "Bones?" she called out. "Bones?"

She heard a bark and turned around. There he was, sitting by the glass door on the porch. "Oh, you idiots!" Cameron groaned, walking over to let him in. "What the hell was _that _for?"

"We was helpin' him!" Brains cried.

"Yeah, dumbaft over here was throwing glass at me-for no reason-and I let him out to protect him! You should be thanking me," Wheelie explained in a huff.

"I should be smacking you," Cameron said dangerously. "Poor doogy." She let go of his collar. "Go get some food or something. You must be hungry." She watched him trot off, then glanced towards Wheelie and Brains, still seated on the couch. "Still bored."

"Well, whatdya wanna do, then?" Wheelie shouted. "There's nothing to do! Welcome to our lives."

"Well, do you have any movies we could watch?" Cameron watched as they nodded, smiling, and walking over to a drawer by the TV. She walked over.

****5 ½ hours later****

"Ooooh, don't go there."

"Don't go! Don't go!"

"Why the hell are you going down to the basement? All bad things are down in the basement!"

"Why does everyone go in the basement? Haven't they seen any horror movies?"

"Okay, this is getting annoying," Cameron stated, stuffing a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

Wheelie and Brains looked at her, confused. "What's getting annoying?" asked Wheelie.

"First of all, that dumbass girl-why the hell go in the basement? It's in every movie-and there, she just got attacked. What the hell was she expecting-a surprise birthday party? And second of all, you two. Can't you just shut the hell up? Also," she got up, putting the popcorn on the table beside her. "You guys are Cybertronians and you're sitting here in Sam's house watching movies. You have no lives. Why aren't you with NEST?"

"'Cause they don't want us!" Wheelie shouted, standing up on his wheel-feet. "They think we're annoying. Besides, what can we do, huh?"

"Well," Cameron began. "You can spy on people or 'cons. Or you can help fight, with your little machine guns or whatever. Or you can do computer stuff. You can actually help _a lot."_

"Try telling that girl Mearing that," Brains commented. "Oh, man is she a bitch…"

"Who's Mearing?" Cameron asked.

"The Director of National Intelligence."

Pause. "What's that? Wait, I don't wanna know." Cameron shook her head, then looked Brains right in the eyes. "But this is pathetic. _You should do something."_

"Okay, _thanks," _Wheelie snapped. "Come here and tellin' us our lives suck. As if we didn't know that already."

"Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"You're worse than Carly," Brains said, rolling his eyes.

Cameron froze. "Carly?" she asked, turning to him.

"Oh, don't tell me you don't know Carly," Wheelie pleaded, wheeling over to her.

She looked down at him. "Of course I know her! I'm not a friggin' idiot!" She walked back over to the couch and sat down.

Carly. How could she forget about Carly? "How's Carly…like?" she asked hesitantly yet seriously.

"Carly?" began Wheelie. "She okay. She's cool. Better than Mikaela, leaving us like-snap-that! Like we was nothin' to her! Anyways, Carly's a good girl-smokin' hot, too. She treats Sam and us okay."

"Not me!" shouted Brains. "She kicks me!"

"You look in her underwear drawers!"

"But she's-"

"-whoa, whoa," Cameron said, shaking her hands. "I don't want to hear this shit, guys. You're friggin' perverts."

"I'm not!" Wheelie shouted defensively. "It's him!" He pointed his little finger to Brains.

"I don't care! God." Cameron sighed. "I can't believe I have to live with you guys. I hope you're not gonna be like this the whole time I'm here."

"You know what?" asked Brains. "You're just like your brother. Sammie's mean to us, too!"

"I'm not mean!" There was a pause ensued between them. "You know Sam never even said hi to me?" she asked, her voice low and calm. "He never said hi to me. Yet. He even said that he-" she looked around the apartment "-wasn't ready for my stay yet, which would make sense. And then he told me to shut up."

"That doesn't sound like our Sammie," Wheelie stated, shaking his head. "I thought he liked you."

"He did!" Cameron shouted, suddenly enraged. "I mean-he used to! And then the goddamn Autobots came here to Earth and everything went down to Shitville! And then there's _Carly!" _

Wheelie and Brains exchanged a glance. "Uh," began Brains, but was cut off by Wheelie.

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

She looked him straight in the eyes and with a sudden power she never thought that she had, she said, "I do."

The sound of a knock on the door jerked everyone from their thoughts. "I'll get it!" shouted Brains, urgent to get out of the situation involving their new guest.

Brains limped over to the door, jumped up and turned the knob. Sam shuffled in, looking around the apartment. "Okay, good," he mumbled, almost talking to himself. "Everything is still intact."

"What, you don't trust me, Sam?" Cameron asked sarcastically, with a smile on her face.

"I'm hurt!" shouted Wheelie.

"Hey, guys," began Sam, excitement creeping on to his face. "Guess what?" Dramatic pause. "I got a job!"

"Oh, that's great!" Cameron yelled, jumping off the couch. She didn't know she seemed to be more excited about this than Sam did, though. She always wanted to know what Sam would be when he grew up, what his first job would be. "Cool! As what?"

Sam's face fell a little, something someone who only knew him for a lifetime would be able to see. "I got a job as an… office mailman."

Brains and Wheelie erupted in laughter as Cameron's heart skipped a beat. A mailman? Seriously? Sam was capable of so much more! He should be a part of NEST, or be a business man! Or a firefighter! Not a _mailman. _

"Hey!" shouted Sam. "Shut the hell up!" He kicked Brains, who went flying against the wall.

Cameron conked Wheelie on head, hard. She cringed along with him. _Metal, _she thought grimly.

"Ow, hey!"

"What the hell was that for? Makin' me go flyin' like that!"

"Just shut up!" Sam yelled and made his way to the couch, sitting down and letting out a huge sigh.

"You did your best," Cameron noted, sitting down next to Sam. "Maybe you can make your way up to a…whatever, you know? It's not bad. The pay's good, right?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, running a hand through his hair, something that was so familiar to Cameron. "The pay's good."

"See? So there's nothin' to worry about."

"But what would Carly think?" he asked, turning to her. She tensed. "What would Carly think when-when her boyfriend gets a job as an _office mailman _and she's an assistant or whatever to this rich guy?"

"Well, if she liked you enough she wouldn't give a shit and you wouldn't have to worry about _what she thinks." _Cameron hurriedly got up off the couch and began walking. "Where's the bathroom, Sammie?" she asked innocently, turning to face him.

"Uhhh…" Sam pointed. "Over there." Cameron walked away, purpose in her step. Once she was gone, Sam turned to face Wheelie and Brains.

"What the hell was _that _all about?" he asked in a whisper. They shrugged, but kept silent.


	6. Carly

Chapter 6

"So, uh…what do you wanna do?"

"I dunno…what do _you _wanna do?"

"…I dunno…"

Cameron sighed. She was currently lying upside down on the couch, Sam next to her, also lying upside down. They used to do this a lot when they were younger, and it brought back memories to her, good ones. Like that time she took his legs and flipped him over and he landed on the floor, hard. But it was funny.

When they were younger, they were also very busy. Sam and Cameron weren't ones to sit around on the computer all day or play video games (although they were _very _good at it), but they were the ones in the neighborhood to play baseball outside or _anything _besides lay on the couch upside down and try to decide what to do next.

"Sam?" asked Cameron.

"Yeah?"

"I'm bored."

"…Me too."

There they sat, staring up at the ceiling with blank, bored expressions on their faces. This is the second time today that she's just been bored out of her mind. Why couldn't she think of something to do? Sam and Cameron were already all caught up on things, and it was almost six. Six was when Carly comes home from work.

Cameron turned to her left, looking at her brother. Sam was 23 now, but he looked maybe 12, just sitting upside down on the couch like that. He still acted as if he were a little kid, bored and trying to think of stupid things to do to pass the time.

"Are there any movies out that you wanna see?" Sam asked, turning to his right to face his upside down sister.

"Does D.C. even _have _movie theaters?"

"Yeah, duh. What the hell did you think?"

"I just thought that…D.C. was all business, you know?"

"You're an idiot."

"…I know." Pause. "Hey, what time is it now?"

Sam glanced at his watch. "5:42," he answered, groaning. "I can't wait until Carly gets home."

Tensing, Cameron sat upright on the couch, slowly followed by Sam. "All the blood's in my head now. Goddamn."

"Where's Wheelie and Brains?"

"Who cares?"

Sam laughed-a hard, long laugh, followed by Cameron shortly after. Once the laughing died down, they both faced each other.

"Got any food?" asked Cameron.

"Uh, yeah, check the fridge."

Cameron got up and walked over to the fridge like a zombie, grabbing onto the door handle and opening it. She barely glanced inside for three seconds before closing it again and announcing, "Nothing I like."

"Check the cabinets," Sam called over to her from his position on the couch.

Cameron obeyed, checking the cabinets. She squealed when she found a brownie making kit. "Oh! I'm making this!" she claimed as she grabbed the box and started opening it up.

Sam glanced over, now fully flopped on the couch. "Hey! No! Carly wanted to make those."

Still opening the box, she hollered, "Sucks to your wife!" before she began busying herself, getting the ingredients.

"She's not my wife, Cameron!" he yelled. "Get it right!"

"Fine, then-she's your fiancé!"

"She's not even that!" He lowered his voice. "I haven't popped the question yet."

"Sam? Know this-_I don't care. _Do you have a measuring cup thingy?"

Sam groaned, getting off the couch and heading up the stairs. "We should! You can't find it?"

"Nah. I'll just take a guess." She popped a few egg shells on the bowl and put the eggs in the bowl, depositing the shells in the trash. Cameron couldn't take a guess as to what the hell Sam was doing up there, but she didn't care as she mixed all of the ingredients together and poured them all onto a pan, shoving it in the oven without preheating it and set it to 40 minutes. She usually just guessed whenever she cooked, anyways. It still came out edible.

Cameron was cleaning up the kitchen when she stopped, the jingle of keys sounding off in the distance. She gasped.

_Carly, _she thought. _What do I do? Should I go by the door? No, that'll seem like I'm a weirdo, waiting for her to come home like a good little sister-in-law-_

The door opened in what felt like slow-mo, slowly revealing the woman she despised. Carly walked in, her high heels clicking against the floor as she made her way over to the table by the TV. She set her purse and car keys down on the table, grabbing some popcorn from the bowl and popping it in her mouth. She wiped to butter off of her fingers on her dress and turned, fully facing Cameron.

Carly's eyebrows shot up in shock, her eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" she asked Cameron, her stupid British accent strong.

_She's even stupider than I thought. I'm so _obviously _Cameron. _

"Cameron," she responded sweetly. "Sam never told you that I'd be staying here for a while? That's strange."

"Oh my god!" Carly shouted, smiling brightly. "You're Cameron!" Carly hurriedly walked over to Cameron and gave her a tight hug to which Cameron returned, against her will. They separated and Carly held Cameron's shoulders, arm length apart. "Sam told me you were coming! Oh, I can't believe I'm _finally _meeting you!"

"Yeah," Cameron smiled. "I was supposed to come in, like, 4 days, but apparently my parents couldn't stand me, so…" She trailed off when Carly laughed, showing off her pearly whites.

"Oh, you're even funnier than Sam said!"

As if on cue from hearing his name, Sam came running down the stairs, now sporting a white T-shirt, jeans, and white sneakers. "Hey, babe," he said, walking over and kissing Carly on the lips.

Cameron's lip curled up in disgust. She _never _liked seeing people kissing another. For some reason, it just disgusted her, and the fact that it was her brother and some Brit made her want to hurl. "Uh, hello?" she asked, getting their attention. "Um, hi, uh…"

_Pathetic, _she thought, which was what everyone was probably thinking.

"Hey, uh," she continued, stammering. "Where's Wheelie and Brains?"

"Wheelie and Brains?" asked Carly. She sighed. "Probably in my underwear drawers again." She left the kitchen, Sam and Cameron following. Carly stomped up the stairs and Sam and Cameron waited at the bottom. "Wheelie? Brains?" she called out. "Do I have to get a bat?"

Cameron turned to Sam. "Where am I sleeping?"

Sam quickly turned to face her, shocked. "What?"

"You deaf? Where the hell am I sleeping, for God's sake?"

"Hey, uh," Sam started, looking around the loft. He licked his lips. "Maybe, uh…"

"On the couch?" Cameron suggested.

"Yeah, on the couch."

"But I'm going to be staying here for at least a month, maybe more," Cameron stated. "Couldn't you have at least given me, like, a blow-up mattress or something?"

Sam licked his lips again. "Uh, yeah, sure. Next time I go shopping, I'll get one."

"But shouldn't you have one already?" Cameron asked, raising her voice. She didn't know where she was getting this power from.

"Cameron? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Were you going to get me a mattress to sleep on-instead of a goddamn couch for a month-tomorrow or the day after or the day after that or the day I was supposed to come?"

Sam's face flushed a little. "Cameron, you have to-"

"No, Sam!" she said, feeling so exhilarated with power. Her nostrils flared, her blood pumped, and it felt so good. "You should have had my stay all prepared already! Why haven't you? Huh? You didn't think I'd actually show? Or you didn't want me to?"

By now, Carly had already taken off her loud heels and have stood, barefoot, at the top of the stairs, listening in on their conversation, watching. She said nothing, but continued to watch, astonished at how Cameron changed. One minute she was a happy, little 14 year old, and the next she was angry, her skin slightly red, her eyes flashing, her veins bulging. Carly has seen mad. She just hasn't seen one like this.

But Sam said nothing the whole time. Sam became a little sweaty, his face flushed, his eyes darting over the lot, never really coming in contact with Cameron, but always keeping her in his peripheral vision. He never felt this feeling before-this feeling of being weak, of not being in control, of feeling tiny in comparison to something else. Some_one _else.

His little sister.

Cameron continued. "I can't believe you didn't prepare my stay Sam," she said in a whisper. "I'm going to sleep. I don't give a shit at what time it is, but I'm going to sleep. Go on upstairs to your little British fiancé, and don't come down 'til morning. Goodnight."

Cameron turned around and laid down on the couch, resting her head on the arm rest and faced the back cushions, closing her eyes.

Without a word, Sam headed upstairs, confused by his sister's outrage but smart not to do anything about it. He sensed a change in his sister, but, if anything, he didn't-wouldn't-really even couldn't want to toy with his sister now. He met Carly at the top of the stairs, and all it took was one look to silently tell her to get into bed, and forget this whole thing.

Wheelie and Brains were watching from the safety of the porch, the familiar heavy breathing of Bones right next to them. They watched the outrage of Cameron, watched everything she did until the moment she turned off the lights. They stood there, watching, the body of Cameron illuminated by the light from the door.

Cameron sensed someone watching her and sat up, turning to her right. Her eyes landed on Wheelie and Brains watching from the glass door. Her eyes narrowed and, against her will, her legs moved. They carried her off the couch until she was standing right in front of the door, staring down on them.

Wheelie and Brains looked up at Cameron, illuminated in bluish light. They looked right in her eyes, watched as they flashed silver, then light blue, until she closed the curtain.

Wheelie and Brains looked at each other. They were the only full Cybertronians there, so they knew what this meant. They had highly advanced minds, hands that transformed into guns, and connections to gods.

But there, on that porch, next to a fully grown and now whimpering dog, they felt a very human chill crawl down their mechanical spines.


	7. Tour of DC

Chapter 7

Cameron woke up at noon. She wasn't one to sleep long, but when she was tired, she seemed to go into hibernation mode.

She sat up and looked around. The wall clock announced that it was exactly noon, meaning that Carly was definitely gone for work. Cameron got up and walked upstairs. No sign of Sam. That means he must be gone for work, too. Maybe he was asked to start the very next day? It wasn't uncommon.

Cameron sat down back on the couch and yawned, stretching out all of the way. She felt her muscles stretching-a nice feeling-but then felt a searing pain go through her.

Cameron gasped and screamed, hugging her arms close to her chest. The pain was coursing through her like the blood in her veins. It throbbed and stung, making her muscles convulse. She clenched her hands into fists, holding her arms close to her chest, and bit down on her bottom lip.

She closed her eyes tightly, wincing, wishing this pain would go away, wishing there was something she could do.

Wishing she knew what this was.

The pain grew more fierce until she felt an urge to burp. She opened her eyes and mouth, and let out a deep breath.

Cold, light blue air escaped from her mouth, curling together. The wisps blew away, carried off by the wind from an open window in the apartment. She felt a burning sensation in her eyes as she followed the blue wisps that escaped from her mouth until she could no more. The burning left her eyes, followed by a quick sting, until she felt pain no more.

Cameron sat there, confused. _What was that? _she inwardly asked herself. _Why did I just burp blue air?_

Cameron continued hugging herself, scared. She knew that wasn't normal for human beings to do such a thing. Perhaps she was developing a disease? A disease of the blood-that would explain the painful coursing she felt. Or maybe a muscle disease-that would explain the muscle convulsion.

_Or, maybe…no, _she thought. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think that maybe, just maybe, she has some sort of disease of the brain that causes her to hallucinate and feel weird things.

Cameron shivered. _No, _she decided. _I just need to eat something. _

Cameron got up and walked toward the kitchen, smelling something burnt.

_Oh shit. The brownies. _She opened the oven and looked inside. Burnt, black, crispy excuses for brownies sat there, still in the pan. Sighing, she grabbed a glove and took out the brownies, emptying them in the trash and putting the pan in the sink. She closed the oven and looked to see if it was still on, but it wasn't. So someone had the intelligence to turn it off but the laziness to not take it out? Cool.

Sighing again, she looked in the fridge and, finding nothing, looked in the freezer and found pancakes. She began making some, half-singing to a song she liked by Foster the People, oblivious to the world around her, trying to forget what just happened.

And, she figured, trying to forget just may work sometimes.

"Dude," began Wheelie, turning to his best friend and possibly only friend. "Did you see that, too?"

"Yeah," stated Brains. "I saw that. What was that all about?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it."

Wheelie and Brains have been out on the porch all morning, talking and really taking time to look at D.C. for the first time. When they heard rustling from inside with their highly-trained ears, they went to the door and looked inside.

They found Cameron there, sitting up on the couch, tightly hugging herself. She looked as if she were in pain by the way she scrunched up her face, her shoulders hunched in, her whole body curling in on itself. Then they watched as she seemed to hiccup blue breath. Wheelie and Brains weren't human-far from it-and they didn't really seem to care about learning about them, but they knew that it wasn't normal for a human to hiccup blue air.

Wheelie looked at Brains. "Hey, Brains, do you think-"

"Impossible," stated Brains, shaking his head. He looked up at the sky, thinking. "It just can't be possible. We would have known."

"But maybe she-"

"No." Brains turned and looked at Wheelie. "No way. Shit happens-that girl probably ate some bad food or whatever. You know that stuff turns blue when it's bad? Maybe that's it."

"_But how are you so sure?"_

"Because it has to be."

Cameron put down her plate of pancakes then burped, quickly checking if it was blue. When it wasn't, she mentally sighed and turned to Wheelie. "Hey, be a good little house robot maid thing and put that plate away for me, please?"

"Hey, I'm not your robot!" complained Wheelie, crossing his arms.

"Yes, you are," Cameron said, smiling. She has been commanding them around all morning since she learned from Brains that she was put in charge. She was never put in charge before-except for the dogs, maybe, but that didn't count-because Sam was always older so _he _was the one put in charge. "Now," she continued, "be a nice little robot and put it away."

"You're bad at playing boss," commented Brains.

"The only thing is _I'm not playing. _I've never been put in charge before, but…so far I'm liking it."

"Okay, look," Wheelie interrupted. He jumped off the couch and grabbed the plate. "I'll put it away because _I'm nice. Not _because you 'commanded' me." He began walking away to the kitchen when Cameron turned to Brains.

"He's _so _doing it because I commanded him to," she whispered to him. They both shared a laugh.

"Hey, what are you laughin' at? What did I miss?" asked Wheelie, jumping over the top of the couch and landing on the cushion.

"Nothing," Brains said, eyeing Cameron before they both burst out laughing again.

"Oh, come on!" Wheelie whined. "I missed something! And if I can't get it outta _you _"-he pointed to Cameron "-then I can get it outta _you_-" he said, pointing to Brains.

"Oh, please, Wheelie," Cameron said. "I can _so _take you on and defeat you _easily."_

"Oh!" Brains hollered.

"You think you can take me on, little girl?" Wheelie asked. "I'd kill you before you would even know what hit you."

Cameron leaned in and smiled. "Is that a challenge?" With those words, she felt a sense of power course through her. That she, in fact, _could _and _would _kill Wheelie if she needed or wanted to. Her smile grew wider with that thought, her eyes seeming to burn a hole through Wheelie.

Wheelie hesitated, looking at her with suspicion and somewhat fear. "Naw," he began, returning to normal, "I don't wanna ruff up right now."

"You're just scared," Cameron smiled, victorious. "Scaredy cat."

"I don't get scared!"

"Oh, you totally get scared!" Brains agreed.

"Do not! I've never-"

"Hey, guys?" Cameron asked hesitantly. They both stopped and looked at her. "Is it possible for me to go outside? I'm not used to being cooped up all of the time."

"Nu-uh," Brains began, before Wheelie interrupted. "Sammie said no-one gets to go outside. Specially you." Wheelie gesticulated around them. "Welcome to our life, yet again."

"Well, you know what?" Cameron got up, determined. "I'm gonna go outside." Wheelie and Brains opened their mouths to protest but Cameron talked over them. "And you know what else? I don't care what Sammie thinks I should do or not. He's not the boss of me, because I'm a teen. And that officially makes me the boss of myself. And," she eyed them with a smile, "aren't _I_ the boss of _you?_"

Wheelie and Brains shared an 'Oh no' look. "But I don't wanna get in trouble when Sammie finds out-"

"_-If _he finds out," Cameron interrupted. "Right? And _if _Sammie finds out, then I'll take the blame. I mean, what's he gonna do? Ground me? Refuse to feed me? Ha!"

"But what are we gonna do?" Brains encountered. "Can we at least come?"

"If you wanna." Cameron gestured at her clothes. "But give me time to change and shower and stuff first."

Cameron grabbed her luggage containing her clothes (it didn't contain her whole wardrobe because she wanted an excuse to buy new clothes in D.C.) and walked to the bathroom, ignoring Wheelie's "I'm glad I'm not a human" speech as she opened the door and made her way inside.

Cameron looked in the mirror, smiling at the way her bed head made her look like a freakazoid monster and de-robed, turning on the shower and waiting before it got hot and got in.

She had another nice, long shower and got out, wrapping a towel around her before tossing her wet hair over her shoulder. She leaned down and searched through her luggage before pulling out a long red shirt that had a hood and some long, ripped skinny jeans. She put on her undergarments and her clothes, brushing her hair and exiting the bathroom, her luggage in her hands.

"You guys have no clue how much I want my own room," she muttered, throwing her luggage on the couch, just missing Wheelie.

"Are you kidding me?" Wheelie and Brains said simultaneously. "We sleep outside _with the dog."_

"Yeah, I feel bad for the dog," Cameron taunted, grabbing and putting on her black DC's. One she finished tying her last lace, she jumped up and shouted, "Ready?"

"We _were _ready, we were waiting for _you," _Wheelie explained.

"Yeah, you always this hyper?" asked Brains.

Cameron shrugged. "I'm just sicked about going to see D.C for the first time, you know? I _really _want to see all of the monuments and junk." She grabbed her phone out of her backpack and checked the time. "Okay, so it's 2:04, and I have absolutely _no _idea where the hell we are and where the monuments are, then I don't know how long it'll take to see them all. But it can't take more that four hours, right?"

"Five, tops," Brains said. "And I don't wanna go see monuments!"

"Wanna get out?" Cameron countered. "Because I could just leave you guys here."

"Fine," Wheelie said. "Let's just go see the stupid monuments, then."

"I can use the map on my phone, but since one of us here transforms into an actual laptop, then maybe _they _could use Mapquest…" Cameron trailed off, smiling and looking and Brains.

Brains smiled back. "I _could, _but since I don't wanna see the damn monuments, then I won't."

"Asshole," Cameron muttered, opening the door and leaving the apartment. "Now, let us go see some historical shit!"


	8. Can You Do Me a Favor?

Chapter 8

"Honestly, Cameron, I'd never think you'd be _this stupid! _Did you think it would be okay to go prancing around D.C. with two Cybertronians in tow, _knowing _the energon detectors, scaring people? You damaged the monuments! _Even after you knew you weren't supposed to leave the house!"_

"I didn't know about the energon detectors! Sorry, I don't have a monthly newspaper from NEST!"

"_Everyone knows about the energon detectors! _It was in the news!"

"_No one _watches the news!"

"_Everyone watches the news!"_

"Well, saw-rie if I was traveling the U.S.A. and didn't have time for the news!"

Wheelie and Brains cringed, watching brother and sister fight. Sam's face was beat red with anger as he was degrading his sister. Cameron fought as hard as she could, but she didn't really have a fair fight, as she knew she wasn't supposed to go outside. Some officers in the alleyway were sharing glances at each other, and some were giggling to themselves.

Carly's new car-a Mercedes Benz SLS AMG that costs $200,000 from her boss for some reason-came flying around the corner, coming to a screechy stop in front of them. Sam and Cameron stopped their fighting to get out of the way of the car as Carly got out. Looking extremely pissed, she walked over to some of the police officers and began to question them.

Cameron turned back to Sam and sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Look, Sam, I really didn't know about the energon detectors, okay? I was just trying to see the damn monuments-they looked cool online! And, also, you can't keep two Cybertronians locked up in the house all of the time. It's not fair and it's rude."

"Well, what the hell do you want me to do, Cameron?" countered Sam. "Let them prance around the city? NEST set up the energon detectors to detect any roaming Decepticons and kill them. NEST detected them-" he said, pointing to Wheelie and Brains "-and they came in helicopters with Sideswipe. Now they-"

"Everything is okay, right?" Carly asked, coming over. "I mean, with NEST. I took care of the police and told them that they could leave. But, what happened with NEST?"

"They came in helicopters and with Sideswipe. I was called out of work." He turned back to Cameron, still beat red. "On my first day! What do you think my boss thinks of me now?"

"Honestly, Sam?" asked Cameron. "I don't care. You don't even deserve that job."

"Okay, you know what?" Sam asked, leaning down and grabbing Cameron's arm. He opened the door and shoved her inside, Carly following.

"Ow, gosh, Sam!" Cameron protested.

"Be quiet," Sam ordered, taking her arm once again and dragging her upstairs to their apartment. He opened the door and Cameron, taking charge, shoved herself in. Carly walked in behind them, leaving the door open for Wheelie and Brains before closing it.

"Okay, what?" Cameron asked, turning around to face them. Wheelie and Brains instantly made their way to the porch, talking to each other about bad manners.

Sam opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Carly who put her hands on his shoulders, calming him. "What nothing," she said, looking at Sam. "It was just an accident, okay, honey? I'm sure that your boss will forgive you. She's only 14."

Cameron snorted. _Only 14, _she thought. _She says that like I might as well be a goddamn newborn._

Sam let out a long breath, his face returning back to normal. He looked from Cameron to Carly, before letting out a quiet, "Okay," defeated.

Carly rubbed his shoulders. "That's my man. She was just trying to let Wheelie and Brains out because she felt bad for them." Carly turned to Cameron. "Right?"

Cameron nodded, feeling somewhat trust in her. She, too, let out a long breath and ran her hand through her hair again, craving some fresh air.

Carly turned back to Sam. "Now, honey, go up to bed, I'll be right there. I just want to talk to Cameron for a second." Sam nodded, looking back at Cameron first before heading up the stairs.

Carly's eyes trailed Sam, slowly turning their attention to Cameron. They took time to take in Cameron, a little scratch trailing along her cheekbone on her left cheek from when NEST must have taken her in. Cameron's clothes and body were a little dirty, and she still looked a little shocked from it all.

Carly sighed, shaking her head. "Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked, half smiling. "Did they hurt you?" Cameron shook her head no. "Are you sure? You have a little scratch on your…" Carly allowed herself to trail off, pointing to Cameron's cheek. Cameron's hand came up to it and she stroked the scratch, testing it's length and if it hurt to touch it.

She shrugged. "It doesn't hurt."

"Well, what did they do to you, for God's sake?"

Cameron hesitated, shifting on her feet, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "They just tackled us to the grass. But don't worry-I think I punched one of them. _I think."_

"But that's still wrong, tackling you like some American football player. You're a little girl!" Carly shook her head. Cameron cringed. There was a pause that drifted through them, each practically being able to feel each other thinking. "At least _my _boss is so, oh, crap!"

"What's wrong?" Cameron asked automatically, her eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"I left my purse in my car, and my phone is in my purse, and I promised that I'd call my boss, Dylan, once everything was settled, because, you know, he worries-"

"Carly?" Cameron asked, smiling and holding up her hand. "Do you want me to get it?"

Carly smiled a bright smile, nodding. "Would you? Thanks." Carly walked over to the living room table where she set down the keys and tossed them to Cameron.

Cameron caught them and hunched her shoulders, preparing herself to ask the awkward question. She rocked back and forth on her heels, gnawing on her bottom lip. "Um, Carly?" she asked hesitantly. "Is it okay if I ask you a favor? Can you _please _tell Sam to _not _tell my parents about this? I mean, I don't want them to worry and whisk me away or whatever-"

"Yes," answered Carly. "I was going to do that anyway, you know."

Cameron smiled awkwardly and walked to the door, looking back behind her and muttering a, "Thanks," before closing the door behind her and heading down the stairs.

Cameron made her way to the brand new car still parked in the same spot, patiently waiting for its owner to come back. She could just _feel _the energy this car gave off, how fast it could go. Cameron looked down at the keys in her hands, knowing she could just insert them in and drive off, if she even knew how to drive. Carly would probably even forgive her is she totaled the damn thing. She just seems so damn forgiving.

Shaking her head, she walked over to the car and hit the 'unlock' button. The car unlocked, its lights flashing and an audible 'click' sound coming from it. She opened the door, surprised to find the door going up instead of out.

_What the hell is up with that? _Cameron asked herself, bending down to look inside of the car for the purse. Spotting it on the passenger seat, she got in and sat on the driver's seat, grabbing the purse and turning to head out only to have the door slam shut on her.

Shocked, Cameron flinched back, clutching the purse tight. The car turned on, the engine roaring loudly before the seatbelt came on around Cameron and the purse, clicking shut tightly around her. Cameron struggled before the engine roared again, the car zooming out of the alleyway and down the streets.

Confused, Cameron looked down at her left hand. She noticed she was still clutching the keys, her hand red from the pressure. She gasped, her eyes widening, before whispering the dreaded word, "Transformer."

Soundwave sat there in his alternate form, patiently and silently waiting for the human Carly to come back to get her possession that she so stupidly left inside of him on his passenger seat. It just goes to show how small a human's brain is and how stupid they are in times of crisis, how easily they tend to forget things.

At least he wasn't totally alone, although he wouldn't care to be. He had just received a transmission from Megatron-now located in Africa-telling him to receive the human designated Cameron Donna Witwicky. Apparently, this human has some sort of deep connection to Samuel James Witwicky, his killer, and one way to get back at him is to take what is precious to him. This is why Decepticons never had any valuables or got too close to any one bot, because then that would be an automatic weak point for the Autobots to take over. If any one weak Decepticon would have a valuable or a close one, they would keep it secret.

Soundwave never had any valuables or close ones. When one of his creations would die, he would simply make a new one or try to repair it, but repairing it was unlikely.

Soundwave was jolted from his thoughts when a door opened and a young human female came out, holding 'his keys,' a useless and stupid contraption to him. Soundwave quickly scanned the human, going through Earth documents, the results telling him it was one Cameron Donna Witwicky, the one he needed to give to Megatron. This would be easier than he thought.

The human stood by the door for a moment, thinking, before shaking her head and walking over to him, pressing a button on the key. Soundwave knew that button was to unlock him so he went through the 'unlocking routine'- flashing his lights and making a clicking sound. It was stupid and degrading for him to do-a Decepticon Communications Officer from Cybertron- but he never complained. It is now one of his duties to blend in and get close to the human Samuel James Witwicky, and he was just doing his job.

The human held the keys in her left hand as she gripped the handle to his door. He allowed the human to open his door, the human's gaze following his door go up. The gaze landed on the valuable on his passenger seat and she leaned in to grab it but she was too small. So the human sat on his driver's seat, reaching over and grabbing the valuable. Soundwave inwardly smiled.

Before the human was able to get out of him, he closed the door, locking it shut. Shocked, the human flinched and clutched the valuable harder, a funny little gesture to Soundwave. He 'turned on,' roaring his engine and snapping the seatbelt tight around the human so it wouldn't try to get out.

He chuckled inwardly as he felt the human squirm in his seat, feeling control again in his life. He roared his engine again before zooming out of the alleyway and down the streets.

_Too easy, _he thought, chucking to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and thank you to all who subscribed to me and who reviewed this story! I LOVE reviews! And yes, here's the moment you all have been waiting for-another encounter with the Decepticons! IT WILL get a lot better than this, trust me! But right now my left eye is extremely water=y and my nose is all clogged for now reason what-so-ever and I don't really feel like expanding it. So, sorry for the short chapter! Next chapter will be GOLD, or at least silver. =D Anyways, gotta get back to writing! Happy Thanksgiving again and please review! =D Mmmkay I'm done bi<strong>


	9. Warehouse

Chapter 9

Cameron's heart raced with panic as they raced down streets, not even bothering to stop at red lights or stop signs. "Who are you?" she asked, yelling over the roar of the engine. "I said who are you, you stupid Decepticon!"

But the engine only roared louder, droning out her screams for answers. Soundwave inwardly smiled at this new game. To him, it was fun.

Soundwave searched the human Internet, looking for a place to drop his catch. He found an abandoned warehouse where they used to fix boats in a place called Vienna, Maryland, probably about an hour to an hour and a half away going at this speed. Perfect.

"Decepticon! Lemme go!" screamed the human, throwing the purse onto the passenger seat and hitting the wheel-as if that would stop him. "Where the hell are you taking me? Lemme out!"

"You are needed," Soundwave hissed in his monotone voice, causing the human to flich yet again and glare at his dashboard.

"I'm needed? Why? _Who the hell are you?" _

When Soundwave didn't answer, Cameron began pounding the wheel and window and kicking him. She started screaming, "Decepticon! Answer me! Who are you? Where are you taking me?"

This continued for a while before Cameron scratched a little part of his window with her fingernail. Knowing the human Carly would see this and begin wondering why her brand new car has a scratch on it, Soundwave decided that he had had enough.

Snarling, Soundwave drew a tentacle from the wheel and drew its sharp claws. Cameron stopped immediately, eyes going wide at the sight of it. She started shrinking into the seat, trying to avoid the tentacle looming in front of her face, taunting her with its sharp claws, threatening to rip her face to shreds.

Cameron gulped, never looking away from the tentacle. "Okay, you got me," she said, defeated. "You can put it away now."

But the tentacle never retracted into the steering wheel. It stayed there, looming in front of her face. The seatbelt tightened around her, almost taking the breath from her. But she clenched her hands into a fist and bit her bottom lip, closing her eyes and refusing to let out a peep. It would only appease the monster.

Her eyes shot open when a claw ran over her face, just threatening to break skin. Cameron tensed, ready for the shearing pain of a slash that would only come from a Decepticon. But it never came. Cameron opened her eyes to watch the tentacle retract back into the steering wheel and felt the seatbelt as it slowly released its tight grip on her.

Cameron slowly released the tension in her body, silently voting to not say another word unless forced to. She gnawed on her bottom lip again-now a nervous habit she developed-to keep her from speaking out against him, which was oh so tempting.

It was a long, silent, torturous ride with the Decepticon, who still hasn't given away any information about their destination or even his own _name. _But Cameron didn't expect anything less-he _was _a Decepticon, after all.

Cameron leaned her head on the window, watching as the world zoomed by, occasionally clutching the sides of her seat when the Decepticon decided to make sharp turns. Cameron kept herself occupied by looking at the night life of D.C. (or somewhere outside of D.C.) and watched as the many colors of light made them look like they were traveling back in time.

She almost smiled at the beautiful sight when the Decepticon pulled over into a dirt road, trailing up to what looked like a giant abandoned warehouse.

Cameron clutched on the edges of her seat, suddenly becoming incredibly scared. People-much less Decepticons-took their captive to an abandoned warehouse to kill them. No one can hear their screams or begs for mercy in a place like that.

Thoughts of dread and fear and escape went through her head when the Decepticon pulled up to the huge building and stopped. They waited there for a few moments before the seatbelt retracted and the door was opened.

Before the Decepticon could even mutter a "Get out," Cameron already grabbed the purse and jumped out of the car, standing back as it transformed.

Cameron watched as part took the place of others and watched the beauty of a Cybertronian transform. It never got old to her-in fact, it was like a whole new adventure every time. But she had to remind herself that this was not a good Cybertronian, that this one was probably going to kill her, or send her off to someone else to do the job.

She silently gazed at the Decepticon-probably a little bit taller than Bumblebee, but less bulky-as the Decepticon gazed at the building. Moments passed-an awkward silence between the two-when the Decepticon turned and gazed down at the little human by his feet.

Soundwave observed the little human female looking up at his by his feet. His blood red eyes bored into her light green ones, good verse evil. She could have just run away the second she got out of him, but she didn't. The human decided to stay and stare at the Decepticon like she has never seen one before.

Soundwave leaned down, punching his fists on the ground besides the human as intimidation and chuckled as she jumped a little. He leaned down in front of her face, observing her from a close, looking at all of her features before scanning her once again and saving the data in his memory if needed in the future.

He almost laughed out loud when the human raised her hand that held the valuable as if posed to hit him in the face. A threat. This tiny little creature was threatening _him, _the Decepticon Communications Officer, a creature more than ten times bigger than her. Her eyes said, "I'll do it if you try something," but she gave off the scent of fear. So she was a strong-willed human, one Soundwave finds so hard to find. Take that human Dylan Gould as an example-he was strong willed and intelligent, siding with the winning side. It made him pass of the human species as only being _mostly _stupid.

"Who are you?" whispered Cameron, staring Soundwave right in the eyes. It couldn't hurt to ask now-the tentacles were gone, and she could most likely run away if she wanted to. Because even if this thing was more than ten times the size of her, she could still duck into tiny places and run into civilization.

Soundwave debated on answering the human's question, of telling his name, then decided not to, for it was unimportant to the human and of no use to know. He got up, only reaching down to snatch the human in his claws and began walking to the abandoned warehouse.

Cameron struggled in his grasp, trying to get her arms out from his tight grip. "I could walk myself, you know," she stated, though the Decepticon kept on looking forward. "I have legs. I'm pretty sure a _smart _Cybertronian like you knows that already, though…" She sighed when she still got nothing from the Decepticon, who was now standing in front of the building.

He set her down, pushing her until she was sitting on the ground as he reached down and grabbed the handle on an oversized garage and yanked it open with a grunt. The garage door shrieked with its age as Soundwave slowly opened it, trying to avoid such sound to give away their position.

Cameron got up off of the ground and wiped the dirt off her pants, still making sure she had a grip on the lilac purse at all times, for obvious reasons. She stared right back as Soundwave glared at her with those never changing eyes, feeling a little uncomfortable in his gaze. She wished she could do something, or at least be back at the house, sound asleep. It was probably really late by now and she should be getting off to sleep, but obviously she couldn't do that right now.

Soundwave began his thunderous walk over to Cameron to grab her but she decided to take control and walk into the warehouse under his feet before he could do so. Slightly shocked, Soundwave froze, watching the tiny human walk into the warehouse willingly, before walking in behind her and closing the door.

Cameron observed the warehouse. It was very large, with a ceiling maybe fifty feet high. There was a little metal walkway maybe 25 feet up that made the warehouse look like a labyrinth. Boxes were everywhere, some mailbox-sized, some even bigger than herself. Cameron saw that the Decepticon was looking around the warehouse also, observing his surroundings. She turned on him.

"So?" she asked. He glanced at her. "What do we do now, now that we are here?"

The Decepticon didn't answer her. He just stared back with those never changing eyes, and Cameron hated it.

"Nothing?" she asked, hands on her hips. "You're going to tell me nothing. Is it because you can't talk, or are you just being a bitch? Because I'm pretty damn sure that you talked to me earlier, on the way here. Did your voice box get damaged during that time, hmm?"

The Decepticon still didn't answer her, but instead moved a corner of the warehouse and threw all of the boxes away, making sure to throw them near the human but not close enough to harm her. Then he sat down against the wall, his metal sliding with the concrete, making a horrible screeching sound that made Cameron cover her ears. The Decepticon growled, relieved to be resting.

Cameron watched him for a bit, seeing how he closed his eyes and his parts shifted a little. She walked over to him, her arms crossed on her chest. "Uh…Mr. Decepticon? _Are _you going to tell me what's going on here?" The Decepticon opened his eyes and stared at her, again. Cameron sighed, getting frustrated. "Are you using me to get to Sam?"

Soundwave didn't answer, debating on whether he should or not. He wasn't given an order to _not _tell her what's going on, buy why should he, anyway? Well, then again, it wouldn't hurt to, and it wouldn't be going against orders. Anything to shut her up, really. He nodded.

"So you're using me to get to Sam," Cameron confirmed.

Soundwave nodded again. Was she deaf?

Cameron thought a little about the situation she was now in. _So they're using me to get to Sam, _she thought. _How could this possibly go wrong? And if not, I'd _make _it go wrong. Because if they're using me to get to Sam, they'd obviously need me alive to do it. They can't hurt me._

Cameron smiled, a plan coming through. _Well then I'll just give them hell._

* * *

><p><em><em>**Author's Note: OMG I'M SO SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS SO SHORT! I know what I'm trying to write about and everything, but I'm just having some writer's block trying to write it, you know? Gosh. BUT NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE VERY LONG, TRUST ME. Right now, all of the other chapter are 5 or 6 pages long on Microsoft Word, but this one is only 4, but next one will probably exceed those! So look out for it! =D Again, sorry, but thanks for your reading and please review! I love reviews! ^o^ Kay bi  
><strong>


	10. Talk

Chapter 10

"Heeey, Decepticon. Hey. Hey! Decepticon! I'm bored, Decepticon. What are we doing here anyways, Decepticon? I'm going to keep on calling you Decepticon until you tell me your real name. So, Decepticon, are you going to tell me your real name? I'M BORED."

Soundwave's optic twitched and his fists clenched in agitation. What was _wrong_ with this human? Why can't it just shut up and stay that way? If he was allowed to kill it, he'd have ripped its voice box out and bashed it to bits. But, no. He can't even lay a claw on it. Megatron said he has plans for this human. Soundwave just hoped to be able to stick around long enough to figure out what it was.

He turned his head towards the human. It hasn't even been 15 Earth minutes and she had managed to run around the entire warehouse three times. It was now standing next to where he was sitting, in this corner he made his own, looking up at him with her hands crossed around her tiny chest. He's have to tell her his name if it made her shut up. So he did.

"Ooooh! Your name is _Soundwave? _Cool! So, I'm guessing you're…someone that has to so with communication?"

Slightly shocked, Soundwave nodded. He didn't expect such a stupid creature to figure that out right off the bat.

"So, _Soundwave, _what are we doing here?" Cameron bit her bottom lip, toying with it.

"Megatron wishes to see you," Soundwave simply replied, staring at her nervous action, thinking it strange.

"So Megatron wants to see me…you mean keep me frickin' captive just to get to Sam? It doesn't seem like him. He wouldn't resort to something like that. So he's just probably going to kill me, then?" At this point her hands were on her hips and she was glaring up at Soundwave with hatred, although inside she feared for his answer.

"He did not say you were to be extinguished," Soundwave announced, remembering their little conversation correctly.

"Just because he didn't say it, doesn't mean it isn't going to happen," Cameron explained, getting even more worried the more she talked. "Shit happens, you know? And he's fucking _Megatron. _Who the hell knows what goes on in his sick mind?"

Cameron sighed, slumping down against a giant box, facing Soundwave. She was going to be killed. Great. But she was too young to die! But Sam and Carly had _definitely _noticed her absence by now, right? And they would see the car was gone, too. Then they would know that the car was a Cybertronian and call the Autobots, and the Autobots would track down Soundwave and rescue her before she was killed by the Autobots.

Right?

She sure hoped so.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. Sam said something about energon detectors in the city, and energon ran through the systems of Cybertronians like the blood in their veins. But, if there were energon detectors, wouldn't they have detected Soundwave already? And Decepticons sure weren't dumb-they always have some type of inside source, something-like Soundwave-that is always updating them on human Intel. It just didn't seem possible.

Cameron and Soundwave sat there for a while in silence, Soundwave leaning his head back and closing his eyes, Cameron buzzing about how she would be killed, or if she would be saved. Cameron knew at least one thing-one seemed unlikely, and the other, scary.

She looked up, taking in the fact that Soundwave's eyes were closed. They were _closed. _He can't see her. She could escape.

With a sudden burst of happiness surging through her, she began looking around the warehouse quickly, looking for an exit. Her eyes scanned the walls, finally landing on a door on the other side of the warehouse. She inwardly smiled.

Maybe she could get up and run quickly to the door. With Soundwave's big ass size, he wouldn't be able to get up in time to stop her from running out the door. She could be out that door in no time, and Soundwave would have to open up the garage door-the only exit big enough to fit him through-and by that time she'd be long gone, or at least hidden. She'd be home free!

Adrenaline coursed through her, the plan seeming flawless. It could work! She glanced up at Soundwave again, remaining calm. His eyes were still closed. Perfect.

She silently moved her body so she could get up to run in a jiff, all the while glancing up at Soundwave to see if he heard her movement. When his eyes remained closed, she turned her attention to the exit, noticing that the handle wasn't a doorknob, but in fact one of those handles that you push down on to open. She didn't see those things on the side of the door-what were they called?-so that meant that the door swung outwards. Perfect.

Sneaking one last quick glance to Soundwave, she focused on the door, counting down in her head from 3.

She got up and ran.

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, the adrenaline coursing through her veins giving her a rush, making her run faster. She didn't dare look behind her to see if Soundwave was getting up, her eyes focused on the exit. She heard the sounds of metal sliding on concrete and knew that Soundwave had noticed her escaping, but she was already at the door, putting her thumb on the button and opening the door, slamming it shut behind her. She caught a quick glimpse of Soundwave's pissed off face glaring at her as he was on his feet, but Cameron didn't wait around.

She looked behind her, noticing some pine trees in the way of a lake. She ran to the edge of the woods, standing by the water. Cameron noticed city lights a good distance away, maybe 2 football fields away. But it was civilization. And that meant safety. She could swim, because, surely, Soundwave can't swim, can he?

She waded into the water, ignoring the stinging pain of the cold, quickly walking until she got deep enough to start swimming. Something in the back of her mind told her to look behind her, but that would slow her down, and time costs as everything at this point. It was life or death, civilization or Megatron.

She heard a loud splash of water behind her and in an instant she sucked in a deep breath and went under water, navigating her way with her eyes closed. She felt the water moving around her and she went deeper until she hit the bottom, hoping Soundwave wouldn't get her.

But then something wrapped around her waist and squeezed her tight, dragging her up to the surface. She struggled in the water, flailing, grasping the ground to get away from Soundwave but feeling it slip through her fingers.

Once she hit the air she gasped for breath, the hand around her squeezing her so tight she thought her ribs would break. She began beating his hand as he walked out of the water, still gasping for breath. He held her even tighter so she couldn't even breathe. Cameron beat and beat and beat until she was totally out of breath and started clawing desperately at his hand for air. Her efforts slowed and slowed until she was slumped in his hand, no air getting inside her, no energy left to fight. She was sure she was going to die.

But then all the tension left his hand as Soundwave saw that she was near death. Cameron gasped for breath again, still slumping in his hand as he walked back inside the warehouse, grabbing the garage handle and slamming it down.

Cameron automatically shot up and covered her ears from the loud noise, wincing. Soundwave stopped walking, turning his hand until she was facing him.

Was it possible that Soundwave looked scarier and angrier than Megatron himself? Because at that point it seemed so. His red eyes were narrowed, glaring at her with all the hatred and annoyance he could muster.

Cameron moved back as far as she could in his hand, trying to avoid his gaze but seeing it impossible. She stared right back into his eyes, scared and cold and wet, while he stared right back.

This went on for a few moments that felt like hours for the both of them, just staring at each other, before Soundwave moved. He shifted his feet, looking around the warehouse before walking over to a back wall, grabbing a long, thick rope off of the wall. He shifted Cameron in his hands-despite her struggling-and wrapped the rope around her waist, making it into a tight knot and pulling it tightly around her waist.

Cameron squeaked, trying to loosen the rope around her waist. Soundwave walked back over to his corner, sitting down and dropping Cameron next to him. She got up, glaring at him, then at the rope, then back at him. He held the other end of the rope in his hands, staring at her and fingering it, taunting her.

Cameron tugged at the rope's knot, trying to undo it, but a sharp tug at her waist told her don't. She glanced back up at Soundwave and he shook his head, fingering the end of the rope.

"What the hell is your problem?" she asked, even though she knew that Soundwave was a Decepticon, and Decepticons weren't known for their TLC.

Soundwave responded by continuing to finger the rope, staring down at her with curiosity. Cameron noticed that his feet were wet and had some sand, seaweed, and rocks on it. Then she looked down at herself and noticed that she was completely soaked from head to toe and covered in sand and some seaweed. She wiped the sand and seaweed off of her, shivering. It was cold.

She looked back up at Soundwave and noticed that he was still staring at her, probably not wanting to take his eyes off of her for obvious reasons. She went back to trying to get the rope off of her, but Soundwave tugged at it again, taking the breath out of her and actually moving her. She took this as an _absolute_ don't.

Cameron sighed loudly again, frustrated. "Well, what are we gonna do now?" she asked. "Why are we here, anyway? Who in the hell are we waiting for? _What _in the hell are we waiting for?"

"Transport," Soundwave simply replied.

"To where? Where Megatron is?" When Soundwave didn't answer, Cameron yelled, "I deserve to know, Soundwave! What would you do in _my _situation! Probably the same! Just tell me what I want to know!"

Slightly shocked, Soundwave looked down at the tiny human in all her rage. Her face had turned red from yelling, her tiny hands balled into fists, and her eyes spelled murder.

What would he do in her situation? What _would _he do in her situation? Demand answers, or just wait and see what follows.

_No, _he thought. _I would demand for answers._

Soundwave made a gesture similar to a sigh. "You are being taken to where Megatron is." That was all he was going to say. No tiny human can control Soundwave.

"Huh," Cameron said thinking. Pause. "Is he in Africa?"

Soundwave froze, tensed. How did this human know he was currently located in Africa? He observed her, taking in her movements and voice.

"So he really _is _in Africa," Cameron rambled. "How the hell did I know that? It just like…came up. But how? Oh my God. This is so freaky! How could I know something like that? I'm just a human!" She stopped, turning back to Soundwave with all seriousness. "Is he going to kill me? Megatron, I mean."

"Unlikely," Soundwave replied. "You are needed online to keep bargain alive. You cannot bargain with a dead body."

"But you can with a broken body," Cameron stated rather than asked.

"Perhaps. But Megatron isn't one to take advantage of the extremely weak. It is a pride thing. You are no match for Megatron. He would be a fool to hurt you."

"But what about the others?" Cameron was on her feet now, very into the conversation with Soundwave. The other end of the rope in Soundwave's hand was slacked, Soundwave into the conversation as well.

"You are Megatron's hostage," Soundwave explained. "Others would not dare to tamper with his hostage when it is needed alive."

"But Decepticons aren't ones to follow rules very well," said Cameron. "It's even in their name-deception."

"No one goes against Megatron and lives."

Cameron snorted. "I've heard stories about Starscream, Soundwave. And he's the damn Second in Command."

"Megatron cannot afford to lose Starscream," Soundwave explained. "He is a valid warrior, though mutinous. He rules the sky, even if it belongs to Megatron. It would take many Autobots to take down Starscream."

Well, she couldn't argue with him there, really. "But it only took an Optimus to rip his arm off and beat him with it," Cameron stated, recalling the events in the jungle battle.

"Optimus is…" Soundwave hesitated. He didn't want to say good-no, that would go against his nature. Even if it was what he was about to say. "A talented warrior," he said instead. "It takes many to take him down as well. He is a Prime, after all."

Cameron considered this for a second. So it was almost guaranteed that she would die by the hands of Megatron or any of his goons. But… "But what about after this…bargain, whatever this bargain may be. He wouldn't just hand me back over, or something. No, he'd kill me then. Surely."

"I am not guaranteeing anything," Soundwave simply explained. "I am not even guaranteeing that you will live to see the next day. I am simply suggesting."

Well, shit. That just made her feel even worse. So he wasn't guaranteeing, he was _suggesting. _This just makes things a whole lot worse.

Cameron sat back down against the wall, contemplating. So she might be killed. No, you know what? She _will _be killed. In the near future. By Megatron. Surely he won't do it painlessly. She'll probably bleed out, knowing him. She's screwed.

The sound of a knock on metal brought her out of her thoughts. Soundwave got up, giving one last tug on the rope to tell Cameron not to play any games, and let it drop to the floor. He walked over to the garage door, leaning down and opening it.

A man stood there, smiling at Soundwave. His long hair was dark, slightly graying by the ears. His eyes were black, also smiling. He was dressed in a suit and bowtie, his black loafers glinted in the moonlight. He turned his smile to Cameron.

Something landed by the man's feet with grace. It looked familiar, but Cameron couldn't put a finger on it. It was on the tip of her tongue-the creature's black armor, the beading red eyes with no remorse, the curve of its beak and the tilt of its head. Then it hit her-the creature at McDonalds. It's here.

"Hello there, Cameron," the man announced in a cheery voice. "My name's Dylan Gould. I'm sure you've heard of me-Carly Spencer's boss?"

This man-Dylan Gould-was standing there among a Decepticon like it was part of his everyday life.

Then it hit her. Maybe it was. Maybe this man is working for the Decepticons.

Humans are working for the Decepticons.

The creature besides the man laughed at the horrid look on Cameron's face. "And I trust that you remember me, also?" it asked in that same screechy voice. "We had a nice little conversation before, don't you say?"

"Cameron," said Dylan, gesturing to the creature at his feet. "This is Laserbeak."

"You," whispered Cameron. "You are working for the Decepticons. Why? Do you realize you are bringing upon your own destruction?"

"Uh-uh," said the man. "That's where you're wrong. We have a deal."

As soon as he said that, a giant shadow loomed over both the man and Laserbeak. A giant appeared, smothered in the darkness, making its way towards them. Not until did it completely come from the shadows did Cameron's body tense up in fear.

The Decepticon Second in Command was here.

Starscream was here.


	11. Walk

Chapter 11

Starscream hissed, looking down at Cameron. His blood red eyes stood out the most in the shadows, sending a chill down Cameron's spine. She turned her gaze back down at Dylan, whose smile widened in delight at her fear.

"Starscream is here to take you to your destination, Cameron," he said. "You are going to meet Megatron himself."

"And that's a good thing?"

"It's _fantastic."_

Cameron shook her head, not understanding. This man actually _liked _and _favored _Megatron, the one who tried to destroy Earth. Twice.

"And I believe it is time to get going," continued Dylan. "It _is_ a long flight to Africa."

Cameron began unknotting the rope around her waist, seeing as Soundwave made no move to try to stop her. "I am not going anywhere with him," she said, nodding her head towards Starscream.

At this, Dylan and Laserbeak bellowed with laughter, and Starscream simply chuckled. "You don't have a choice in the matter," Starscream hissed.

"Everyone has a choice," she muttered, getting one knot undone and working on the next. "I don't have to go with you."

"And how are you planning to stop me?" Starscream asked. "You're weak. You're pathetic."

"And you're the same."

Roaring, Starscream stomped over to her. "You shut your mouth, you filthy human! You are no match for me! I could kill you in an instant-I'll rip your guts out and display them-I'll-"

"-Emphasis on the pathetic," Cameron interrupted.

Roaring again, Starscream's right arm transformed into a gun, aiming to directly at Cameron. But Cameron didn't do so much as flinch, for she knew Starscream couldn't kill her. At least, not here, not now.

Starscream stayed where he was, the gun still pointing towards Cameron, grinning slightly. Dylan and Laserbeak had backed up to a more safe distance from Starscream, on the side where Soundwave was standing. Soundwave was standing straight, watching Starscream, getting ready to intervene if needed. But Cameron, on the other hand, was still working on the rope around her waist, almost done getting it off, smirking at Starscream with deception in her eyes.

With one final tug, the rope around Cameron's waist fell to the floor with a thump. She breathed in a nice, long breath that she has been deprived of, still smirking up at Starscream. She rubbed at her waist where the rope bore into her, finally breaking the silence. "Well, Starscream? Are you going to shoot me or just stand there like a damn statue?"

Starscream growled, turning on his weapon. "You better shut up, you worthless piece of scrap! I'll blast you to the cosmos!"

"Lotta talk for someone who doesn't do anything, you know," Cameron commented, causing Starscream to fire up his weapon even more.

Sighing, Soundwave stepped forward. "Starscream, this human is needed alive and transported to Megatron, his orders. Get to it. You do not want to keep him waiting."

Starscream turned on him. "Shut up, you fragging piece of scrap! You can't order me around! _Only I _order _you _around! Now _you _do _your _part _and leave."_

Soundwave stood there for a few more moments, scowling at Starscream, before transforming back down into a car and opening the door for Dylan. Laserbeak flew off into the night, chuckling, as Dylan stood by the driver's side to Soundwave. Dylan turned back to Cameron. "You should consider yourself lucky, you know. Not many get to meet Megatron under his orders. Tomorrow, you get to meet a god, and see what it means to truly live life." With that, he got in the car, closing the door behind him as Soundwave went blaring down the road.

Now Cameron felt a little scared inside without anyone to save her. Not like Soundwave was actually going to _save _her-he was a Decepticon, he brought her here-but it would be nice to have someone like Soundwave here to hold back Starscream. But, apparently, life likes to prove itself a bitch, and now she had no one.

But she refused to let Starscream see this. Out of all the Decepticons, she probably hated him the most.

"So, Starscream," she began. "Going to lower that gun so you can take me to Megatron now?"

"Say anything more, and I _will _rip you apart, just for the joy of it," Starscream threatened, retracting his gun. He bent down to look Cameron in the eye. "But know this-_no human orders Starscream around."_

Starscream snatched Cameron up, grinning maliciously as she let out a yelp, and rose to his true height. "And know this, also," he continued, much to Cameron's dismay. "You will not enjoy this flight. And you will not enjoy what you see when we reach our destination. _If _I don't gut you first. One more word out of your stupid mouth and I will take whatever punishment Megatron gives me-if he gives me one-when I kill you." He tightened his grip on Cameron and brought her closer to his face. _"Do you understand, human?"_

Scared for her life, Cameron nodded, giving Starscream the pride he wants to stay alive.

Starscream growled once more before tossing Cameron in the air, transforming and catching her harshly in his cockpit. She landed with a grunt as the latch closed and Starscream took off, slowly reaching Mach 1 until he was moving so fast he couldn't even hear the sound of his own engine. He wasn't called the leader of the Seekers, the ruler of the air, for nothing.

Cameron felt a little dizzy and nauseous from the speed at which they were traveling. She doubled over and hugged herself, grimacing, just wanting to get rid of this feeling. She opened her mouth to speak but remembered Starscream's warning, shutting it. Bile crawled up her throat, teasing her, threatening to spill all over Starscream. And she could not have that-he would kill her for sure.

"Starscream?" she dared to whisper. "Sorry, but-"

"I SAID SILENCE YOU WORTHLESS SCUM!" Starscream bellowed. _"Can no human not listen at all?"_

"-it's just that I'm about to vomit in your interior because of the speed we are traveling at."

"I will not slow down because your stupid human body is too weak to sustain this speed!"

"But, Starscream, I may vomit in your interior-"

"If you _dare _to let loose your nasty human fluids in my interior it will only bring upon your death!"

Cameron growled, trying to help Starscream understand that vomiting isn't under a human's control. "I will try to keep it in, then. But this speed is not-" Cameron winced, rubbing her temples from this immense headache "-helping."

"Silence, human! Not another word!"

Cameron shut her mouth, swallowing her saliva to try and keep the vomit down. _Goddammit, Starscream-are you really that stupid? _she thought bitterly.

After a while Cameron got used to the dizziness and nauseous feeling and looked outside Starscream's window, watching the ocean literally whizz by. She half-smiled, looking down at the ocean, the sun glinting off of it like a mirror. She always loved the sea and wanted to be a scuba diver when she was younger, but that faded away as she learned she was claustrophobic and can't stand doing such a thing.

All Cameron knew was that she was riding in Starscream for over an hour now. Whenever Cameron got bored, she started counting seconds into minutes into hours. She reached an hour, three minutes, and 28 seconds before she gave up from sheer boredom. But Cameron kept herself busy by thinking about the Cybertronians and how her life literally went to shit ever since they arrived to keep the bile in her throat from coming out. It was working.

Cameron continued to look out the window until something caught her attention on the corner of her eye. She squinted, trying to see the object coming up in the distance. Once the familiar sight of sand came up Cameron smiled with the fact that this was all going to be over soon.

"AHOY!" she cried suddenly, making Starscream flinch.

"What? What did you just shriek now?" he asked, clearly confused.

"I shrieked AHOY! It's what sailors said when they finally saw land. And guess what-" she pointed to the sand coming up even more in the distance "-LAND!"

"Shut up, human!" he yelled, agitated. "I have known this for a while now-do you think I am stupid?"

Yes. "Well, how the hell would I know that you-"

"Shut up!"

_Man, this dude would make an excellent wife one day_, she thought, smiling to herself.

Once they reached land Cameron almost shrieked in joy, but held it in because Starscream would probably kill her. Starscream hovered a few feet above the ground before transforming into bi-pedal mode and catching Cameron in his hand. Before Cameron could even look around her to observe this knew place she was in she was tossed onto the ground by Starscream.

"Stupid, pathetic waste," he muttered, looking out over the horizon. Cameron ignored him, doing the same as he was, looking out over the horizon. It was an understatement to say that there was a lot of sand. There was sand _everywhere. _Sand, sand, tons of sand. Only sand. Hills and hills of sand. It made Cameron want to puke.

In fact, she did. Doubling over on the ground she hurled, not even remembering the last thing she ate. Starscream backed up a few steps, disgusted at the human on the ground by his feet, but mostly not wanting to get its disgusting fluids on him. Cameron groaned when she was done, rubbing her temples. Starscream wasn't kidding when he said that the trip wasn't going to be fun. She got up, kicking sand to cover up her throw up, and looked at Starscream.

Starscream was blocking the sun, his large frame towering over her smaller one. This was the first time she really got a good look at him, only seeing quick glimpses of him in battle when she was running away from him. Before she thought he had actual wings, but now, looking up close, his torso looked like the jet alone, his arms and legs hanging awkwardly at his sides. His head made him look like he had 'shoulder length hair' with blood red eyes in the middle.

And speaking of those blood red eyes, she found that he was looking down at her, observing her. Starscream really never had a good look at Cameron, either-only the boy, her brother. He noticed that her hair was tangled and dirty, her clothes the same. The whites around her eyes were a bit red, and she was looking up at him with curiosity.

They stayed like that for a few moments-human observing Cybertronian, and Cybertronian observing human-before Starscream broke the silence. "Let's get going, human. We have a long way to walk." Starscream began walking in the direction he knows as south, Cameron jogging to keep up with him.

"You mean we're not flying?" she asked, trying to keep in pace with him.

Starscream spat to the side she was on, nearly hitting her. "I'm _tired, _stupid fleshie."

"How long have we been flying?"

"_Long, _you no-brained fleshbag," he spat, looking down at her as she jogged to keep up with his walking. "Flying gets tiring after a while. How could you not know that?"

"Because I'm not a Cybertronian. Isn't it obvious?"

Starscream stopped, glaring down at her, his fists clenched. Megatron said he couldn't kill her, let alone hurt her. He wanted to _so _bad, but Megatron said he'd beat him senseless if he did so. And, Starscream had to admit, even in his most tragic state, Megatron is still intimidating. Starscream won't go against him. For now.

"You will understand, in time," he muttered, mostly to himself, as he continued walking.

Starscream walked for a few minutes, Cameron jogging to keep up behind him. Starscream's feet made giant holes in the sand with his long strides, holes Cameron kept on falling into, the sand acting as if it were quick sand. She would quickly get out of it, though, running back up to Starscream. The hot sun beat down on the both of them, causing Cameron to sweat and lick her lips, craving some cold water.

She looked up at Starscream, licking her lips again. "Aren't you hot?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"I have entered your atmosphere more than once, and that wasn't so hot for me," Starscream explained, staring straight ahead. "I have survived far worse."

"But you're metal, and when metal is hot…well, shit, it's hot."

Starscream growled, frustrated. "But since I _am _metal, I have learned to deal with it."

"Like baby penguins," Cameron stated, smiling at the thought.

Starscream glanced down at her. "What?"

"Baby penguins have to get used to the cold once they are born," Cameron explained, trying to look up at him but finding it hard with the sun in her eyes. "Like, I'm guessing, you have to get used to the heat."

"We usually just convert heat into energy," Starscream said.

"I thought _energon _was your energy. Again, it's in the name-energy."

"We use many forms to get our energy. Now that that's out of your system," he hissed, "shut up."

"But I'm tired!" Cameron whined, stopping. Starscream, noticing the human has stopped moving, did the same and turned to face the human.

"I have flown for hours with an annoying, stupid human passenger," Starscream countered, gritting his teeth. "And _you're _tired?"

"_Well, _smart guy," Cameron argued, gritting her teeth as well. "You may absorb the heat into frickin' energy, _I. Can't. _I just get all hot and sweaty and it slows me down and I'm thirsty and there's no water in the damn desert and I don't even know where we're going-"

"_Stop," _Starscream ordered, annoyed at her pestering. He clenched his fists, sighing. "What will make you stop whining?"

"Flying, maybe? We'll get to the destination faster, and haven't you converted enough energy already?"

"No, I haven't. I require a lot more energy from your sun. Though, I can pick you up and throw you-then you'll be flying." Starscream grinned at the image, hearing her screams echo away.

"Uhh…" Cameron began, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Can't you just put me on your shoulder, then?" Starscream reached down to pick her up, but as soon as he touched her, she shrieked and backed up. "Ah! Ow! Don't touch me! You're fucking hot as hell!"

Starscream retracted his hand, ignoring the human and kept on walking. Cameron, noticing him walking away, ran back over to him, hiding under his shadow the best she could to protect herself from the sun. The last thing she needed was stupid sunburn. As so, they walked.


	12. Realizations Part 1

Chapter 12

"I still can't believe this is happening," Carly murmured into Sam's shirt, muffled. A tear streaked down her face.

"It's okay, Carly," Sam reassured her once again. "Maybe she's here."

"But they said-"

"Just be optimistic."

Carly and Sam were sitting in the back of an FBI van, on the way to some warehouse where they tracked Carly's phone. About 10 minutes after Carly sent out Cameron to go get her purse and never returned, Carly went down to investigate. Finding both her car and Cameron gone, she panicked and went to Sam, who called the police. The police called the FBI, recalling their involvement with the Cybertronians. The FBI tracked down where Carly's phone was in an hour. They sent two vans to go pick up Sam and Carly after their interrogation by the police and started to their destination.

The FBI didn't say much to Sam and Carly about where they were going, because they still wanted to keep everything as secret as they could get from the public-they didn't need the news on their asses. They only told Carly and Sam that it was going to be a long drive. They even denied Wheelie and Brains to come along on the ride to interrogate them, looking for answers. They thought that getting a little information from Cybertronians-especially ones that used to be on the Decepticon fraction-would aid them in their search to find the missing girl. It didn't-Wheelie and Brains knew nothing. It was a waste of time.

"But this is all my fault!" Carly complained. "I shouldn't have let her get _my _things!"

"You couldn't have known," Sam disagreed, rubbing her back. "Besides, we're here already. I _bet _you we will find her in here."

The vehicle came to a stop outside of a giant warehouse. The warehouse was smothered in lights and policemen, who were guarded with small guns. Policemen and detectives scrambled around the place, looking for any clues leading to the missing girl. The driver and passenger of Sam and Carly's vehicle got out. The passenger-dressed in a black suit-came around to Sam and Carly and opened the door for them, closing it behind them as they got out. He and the driver led them up to the warehouse and through the large open garage. Men dressed in black suits and jumpsuits were everywhere, surveying the entire property and writing down notes on a clipboard.

Sam and Carly stopped to watch all of the commotion, many men whizzing by them, talking to each other about maybe even making some molds.

"This way," the passenger said, bringing them out of their daze. Sam interlocked hands with Carly, squeezing it for reassurance and protection. They followed the man to the back of the warehouse until they stopped, the man gesturing to something lilac on the floor.

It was a purse. Carly's purse, lying on its side on the floor. Yellow tape was around it, signaling that no one was to tamper with this evidence, but the man reached over the tape anyway, grabbing the purse and holding it out in front of him. He opened it up, searching around in it until he came up with his desired object and held it out to Carly.

Carly looked at it, taking it in her hands and surveying it. It was her phone, a little red light on it, signaling that she had one missed call. She checked-it was from Dylan. Clenching the phone tight in her hand and taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She looked at the purse still gripped in the man's hands, tears once again forming at the brim of her eyes.

Sam looked at Carly, trying to hold back his own tears. This was his _sister _they were talking about. His sister was missing. He'd give anything up for her sister. And now she was gone, and he couldn't do anything about it. It stung his heart, knowing his sister was out there somewhere with strangers who were probably introducing her into a world that she didn't need to know about-not at that age. And what if she w_asn't _with people, but Decepticons? What if this was some way to get at Sam and the Autobots? An elaborate scheme set up by Megatron himself? He was still out there, probably with Cameron.

_No, _he thought. _I can't think that. _He wouldn't dare to think about the possibility that somewhere, out in the world, his little sister was with his worst enemy-the worst enemy of _a lot _of people. He shivered.

Sighing, Sam rubbed Carly's back, trying to comfort her. He tried not to listen to the man tell him that there was no sign of Cameron here, and they were trying to find any clues about where she was or who she was with, but coming up with nothing. The only thing that Sam heard was that Cameron wasn't here. Then that means she really _is_ kidnapped by some psychos-or worse…dead.

"Why do you have an extra knee?"

"What? Shut up, human."

"No, you have an extra knee! And it points backwards!"

"I said shut up, insect! Shut up!"

"You look like a confused crane."

Roaring, Starscream bent down and snatched her up, squeezing her tight. To Cameron, his hot metal hurt more than her being crushed. She shrieked, squirming around in his hand, trying to avoid the sting of hot metal against her skin, but it was unavoidable.

Almost instantly, the pain went away. Confused, Cameron stopped squirming. She didn't feel any stinging. How could she get used to that that easily? She was flesh-he was burning hot metal. Why wasn't her skin turning to bacon?

Cameron sucked in a sharp breath, feeling sudden energy coursing through her veins. She looked at Starscream in his eyes, smiling, feeling sudden confidence envelope her, feeling she could take Starscream on. And win.

Cameron laughed-a long, hard, raspy laugh. Starscream looked at her in confusion, not understanding the human in his grasp. Why was it laughing? It was being held by the true heir of the Decepticon throne. Why was it not scared? Or did he scare it so much it went insane? She continued laughing in his hand for God knows why until he shook her so hard she stopped, glaring at him. If looks could kill, Starscream would be dead. Cameron clenched her fists into fists so tight that her palms bled a little from her nails digging into them. She gritted her teeth, trying not to let out her anger on the Decepticon Second in Command, closing her eyes tight and taking deep breaths until she calmed down, looking back up into Starscream's eyes, now with curiosity.

Starscream stared at the human, wondering what was going on in her mind and why it just went insane. He hope Megatron knew what he was going, keeping this insane human with them as a bargaining chip. And as a bargaining chip, she'd have to be alive, or at least well, and that means giving it food and water like babysitters. It was completely degrading being the Second in Command of the Decepticon army and having to be put in charge of some pitiful insect, having to keep it alive and well without even harming it. Insane. Megatron went completely insane.

An internal message went off in his head, announcing that all of his energy has been rebooted. _Finally, _he thought, sighing to himself. Taking one last glance at the now insane human in his hand, he threw her up in the air high, transforming and catching her in his cockpit, flying off.

Cameron grunted as she landed in his cockpit, repositioning herself in his seat as she was blown backward by the force of his thrusters. Growling slightly, she repositioned herself in his seat again, digging her nails into his seat. She cleared her throat, licking her lips. "You could have told me you were going to do that," she said, her voice still raspy from lack of water.

Starscream said nothing, just continued to fly, trying to ignore the human in his seat in hope she would not go insane again. Cameron continued. "You know, I really need some water. Not to sound stupid or annoying or greedy or anything, but you hear my voice? 'Snot supposed to sound that way. 'Sall raspy."

"I don't care about your needs, human," Starscream retorted.

"But I'll die."

"I'd be the one to kill you."

"Megatron would be the one to kill you."

"Shut up!"

"'Sall you know how to say."

Starscream growled. If he was in his bipedal form, he's have clenched his fists in frustration. It's like talking to a wall with this human. Boy what he wouldn't give to strew this humans guts out.

Cameron sighed, licking her lips again. Her mouth was dead dry, and Starscream wasn't going to give her any water. But he wanted-no, needed-her alive. Conclusion? Starscream is a dumbass. But Cameron knew that already. She looked out his window, watching as they flew by the hills of sand so fast the ground just looked like a plain tan color. Cameron sat back in his chair, closing her eyes, dreading the visit to Megatron and wondering if, or when, the Autobots will come to rescue her. But they can't know her location, or else Megatron would be dead by now. He must be using some cloaking device or whatever.

Almost an hour went by until Cameron fell asleep in the enemy cockpit from exhaustion. Starscream was tempted to do a flip in the air-loving flight, but just to wake the human up and see her shocked face-but her reframed from doing so, or else he'd probably make it go insane again. Starscream just kept on flying, careful not to wake the cargo up. He thought about Megatron and wondered what his plan was. Was he going to broadcast a message about their hostage? To the world or to the human/Autobot organization N.E.S.T.? What would he say? What would happen if it backfired on them, revealing their location? Starscream didn't want to die by the hands of the human _or_ Autobot scum.

About two hours later, Starscream saw the familiar mountain pass that led to where Megatron was hiding. Ducking through the mountain pass, the human jolted in his seat, but did not wake. Now out of the mountain pass, he realigned himself, staring straight at their little campsite. Megatron sat there, feeding the sparklings, his mouth moving to talk to them. Starscream slowed down, coming to a stop. He stopped midair about ten yards away from Megatron, transforming into bipedal form and catching Cameron, who jolted awake.

Megatron turned and stared at the human in Starscream's hand, rubbing her eyes and squinting, trying to see where she was, until her eyes widened, landing on him and mouthing his name. He smiled. Part one of his plan was complete. Time for part two.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Sorry this thing is so short! It's 5 pages in Microsoft Word. I just wanted so badly to end it at that, and I was having writer's block, so I ended up not writing much about the ride there and stuff. But it'd good, right? Right? o.O LOL. Thank you for reading! Review please! I freaking LOVE reviews! Oh, and another thing: next chapter is going to be the longest yet! I'm planning on putting SO much into the next chapter, because I REALLY have to get this thing going. You'll PROBABLY know what's going on with Cameron next chapter. But most likely? Yes, you will. Again, sorry, review, next chapter will be very long, and thank you for reading! *takes in big breath* MAN, that was a mouthful. Bye! ^o^<strong>


	13. Realizations Part 2

Chapter 13

Nothing beats like waking up to the Decepticon leader staring at your face.

Cameron's eyes widened, taking in the creature before her eyes. His face was messed up for one-his right half was completely mangled from when Optimus owned him and shot him through a stone wall. But his optic was still working. Or, at least, Cameron thought it was-she just saw a beading red dot hidden behind a large, brown shawl. Megatron smiled at her, seeing her shock. His teeth were long and sharp, about as long as her forearms. She shivered, frightened by the fact that just one of his teeth could kill her.

"Ah, Starscream," he said, still smiling. "I see you have brought the…_bargaining chip."_

"Indeed, Lord Megatron," replied Starscream, bowing his head and smiling as well.

"How was the trip?" asked Megatron sarcastically.

"Trip fuckin' sucked," answered Cameron, glaring daggers at Megatron. She turned her head to look up at Starscream. "Ain't 'dat right, Screamer?"

Starscream growled, enclosing Cameron in his fist. But Megatron laughed, a nice, hardy laugh. "I think she likes you, Starscream!" he shouted, laughing yet again.

Starscream looked down at the human in his hand who was glaring at Megatron with hate. She had guts-he could give her that, speaking up to them both like that. But was that because she knew she couldn't be killed yet, or just sheer bravery? He didn't know, but he disliked her a little less for it. Just a little.

Megatron stopped laughing, but never stopped smiling. It was because he had total control of the situation, something he craved for, and something he lacked ever since the death of The Fallen, his master. He had total control over something again, even if it was just the life of some puny human. It was something. He had never thought that he would be lacking this control in his life. He had always thought that he'd rise above in Cybertron and win the war, not hide in some campsite on Earth. He had waited for this. "Why don't you bring her over here, Starscream? Let me get a good look at her."

Cameron's heart raced, fear drawn over her like a blanket. Instinctively, she sank deeper into Starscream's hand, trying to get away from Megatron even as he walked toward him. She tried to refuse to let him see her fear, though-she had promised herself she'd try on the way to him. But, like the inevitable death she soon faced, it was unavoidable.

Starscream laid his hand out flat towards Megatron, the human in it. Megatron reached over and plucked her out of his hand, holding her close to his face. He surveyed her-the cut on her cheek, the dirt in her hair, and-his favorite-the fear in her eyes, the uncertainty. He loved seeing that in the eyes of his enemies, of the weaker, right before he ripped them apart. He loved it-it thrilled him, it kept him going. And he's been deprived of it for so long.

Chuckling, he turned back to Starscream, who was standing patiently, beside them, watching them survey each other face to face, as he and Cameron had done earlier. "You can go now, Starscream," commanded Megatron. "Are you waiting for a written invitation?"

Glaring at his leader but used to this sort of treatment, Starscream transformed and flew off, leaving the two of them alone at the campsite.

Cameron watched him go, biting her bottom lip, reframing the urge of screaming after him to stop, to not go, that he was her only way out of there, away from Megatron. That he was the only one that could save her. Instead, eyebrows turned up in fear, she turned back to Megatron as he watched her, smirking.

"Have you missed me, human?" he asked, obviously enjoying this.

"Fuck you," she answered, glaring. "Fuck. You."

Megatron laughed at her remark, admiring her flare. "I'm going to enjoy this," he said, laying his hand flat.

"Enjoy what?" Cameron asked, her shoulder hunched, sitting on his hand.

"This plan," Megatron answered. "Did you really think you were going to be used as a bargaining chip?"

Cameron's heart sank, but she refused to let it show. "Honestly? No." A sudden reassurance filled her once she said it. She realized that deep down, she really didn't think that Megatron would stoop so low as to use her as a bargaining chip. No, he wouldn't go through all of that trouble. So he was up to something else. But the thing was; what?

"Exactly," Megatron said, poking her. She slapped his finger. "See? I knew you were going to say that."

"No, you couldn't have," Cameron disagreed. "Unless you're psychic or something."

"No, I am not psychic," he commented.

"Right, you're insane."

"No, not insane either." Cameron was confused. Where was the rage in his voice? The insanity? Why was he talking to her like a child?

"Then what are you, in your eyes?" she asked, anticipating the answer.

"I'm…observant. Perspective, wise."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" he asked, shaking her a bit, a flash of rage in his eyes for a quick second. "Well, I'm not. I'm _observant. _It's funny how I know what you are and you have no clue."

"What are you talking about?"

Cameron never got her answer as she was thrown against some boxes. She grunted and groaned, shocked by the sudden outrage. Megatron got up, his metal groaning against each other, and made his way over to her. A weird little green creature in a barrel was shouting, "Kill it, Master! Kill it! Get it good!" But Megatron ignored the creature, walking until he was standing over Cameron and kneeled down to talk to her better.

"I am talking about what you _really _are," he said, plucking her off the boxes in a swift motion. He held her between his claws in front of his face as she struggled to get out of his grasp. "What you are _really _capable of!" And with that, he threw her again, this time against what remained of a small wooden structure.

Cameron landed against the wooden structure, completely knocking it down. Rage coursed through her and she slammed her fist on the ground, turning her head around to face Megatron. She clenched her fists in anger, growling.

But Megatron just laughed, walking over to her again. "That's it!" he shouted. "Let your rage out on me!"

He kicked her, sending her flying. She fell on the ground, bouncing up a few times, grunting. Rage overpowering her, she screamed out in anger, slamming her fists against the ground. She felt her body heating up, her heart pounding furiously in her chest. "Megatron!" she yelled, barely recognizing her own voice. "What the _fuck _are you doing?"

Megatron chuckled, making his way over to her. "I'm just helping you recognize who you really are. Let it all out!"

"Let _what _out?" she yelled in fury. Her body heated up even more until she felt as if she were on fire, minus the pain. "What do you want from me?"

"You are not human!" he yelled back, enjoying this too much. "Cameron, you are much more!"

"Well of course I am human, you fucking insane freak!" she yelled back, getting up to her feet. Her voice became a bit low and less raspy, mostly just overcome by rage and insanity.

Megatron kicked her again, sending her flying in the air, landing quite a distance away from him. He transformed into his alt mode and drove to meet her there, transforming again and kneeling down next to her.

Cameron groaned, squirming on the ground. Once she regained herself, she screamed in rage again, jumping to her feet and facing Megatron. She bared her teeth like a dog, growling, her body hunched and her hands out by her sides in a defensive position, her fingers tensed as if they were claws. She looked up at Megatron like this, who kneeled down in front of her, looking down at her.

He smiled again. "You are not who you think you are, little one," he told her.

"I'm human," she countered through her gritted teeth. "I. Am. Human."

"You are mistaken," he said, swiftly picking her up and throwing her against a nearby tree.

Cameron hit the tree, her arms and legs bending back as her back hit the tree. She yelped as she hit the tree, falling onto the ground on her hands and knees. Cameron panted, trying to regain her strength as she heard the familiar pounding of Megatron's steps coming near her.

"You are a creature much different than a human," he told her. She didn't look up as he talked to her, keeping her head to the ground, still panting. "You are stronger, better, faster. You are more cunning. In a way, you are like me."

Cameron gripped the ground, feeling the hot sand go through her fingers until her hands became fists. She spat on the ground near her, grunting until she was on her feet and facing Megatron, who stopped a few feet away from her. Gritting her teeth, she was overcome with an extreme anger she never had before. Her body was on fire. She wasn't even aware of the fact that she was screaming and pointing her right hand at Megatron until she saw a blew blast go by her head and hit him square in the face.

Shocked yet suddenly happy at the fact that it could be a blast from the cannons of Ironhide, her savior, she smiled and started to turn her head around to look behind her when something caught her attention. It was her own arm. Or, at least, she thought it was.

Her smile faded as quickly as it came when Cameron saw that it was a robotic limb attached to her body at her right shoulder. The robotic limb was light silver with a few gray wires thrown in here and there. The end looked like one of Ironhide's cannons except it was smoking, a little blue light coming from it. The same blue light she saw hit Megatron's face.

Megatron recovered from the blast quickly, used to plasma blasts hitting him. He looked down at the confused creature below him, looking at her arm in shock and disbelief. Smiling, he bent down to her level, nudging her with his claw. "How does it feel to see your true self, little one?" he asked.

Cameron didn't respond. She just kept on staring at her arm, the words lost in her mind, never forming. She cocked her head, poking her arm here and there in disbelief. After a while the smoke went away and her hand transformed on its own. It transformed into a robotic hand, almost completely identical to a regular hand, except for the fact that the fingers were all elongated and the ends were sharp. Claws. She had claws.

Megatron stood back up to his full height, still looking down at Cameron below him. "Do you want to know more?" he asked her curiously. Catching her attention she looked up at him, not saying a word. Moments went by. Getting slightly impatient, Megatron growled, "I said, do you want to know more?"

Cameron nodded slightly, almost not even visible. Megatron continued. "Then follow me," he said, turning, stopping only to glance back at Cameron, who stayed where she was. "And do as I say." He began walking back to the campsite and, after a few more moments, Cameron followed him, still stunned, playing and observing her new hand, still not completely sure what was going on, or even if that actually happened.

Starscream crouched on the top of the nearest mountain, watching the whole thing play out in front of him. He watched as they talked to each other, Cameron in his hand. Then, shocked, he watched as he threw her against the wooden boxes. He almost wanted to laugh at the poor human's expense until he felt a sudden sense of power start to form around him, coming from that certain area, like an aura.

Confused, he continued to watch as Megatron assaulted her, throwing and kicking her this way and that until she seemed she finally had enough and hit him. But, not with her hands, or her feet, but with her gun. Her plasma cannon. Shocked, Starscream zoomed in his vision on her, observing her. Her right hand had transformed into a plasma cannon, now smoking. How is that possible? She was a human, not a Cybertronian!

Sudden thoughts rushed through his head. Was this a pretender? No, couldn't be. Did the AllSpark do this to her? No way. Why would the AllSpark pick this stupid insect to alter, to give its power to? Impossible. Or…could it?

Starscream continued to watch them both, baffled. Megatron recovered from the blast to his face quickly and began talking to her again. She didn't say a word-just stared at her arm. It transformed again, now into a hand with long claws for fingers, much like his own. Megatron's mouth moved again, forming words Starscream couldn't decipher. Then the girl nodded and followed him as he began walking back to the campsite.

Starscream crept backwards until he jumped off the edge of the cliff opposite to them and transformed midair, flying off. He needed to think.

"Sir?" asked the man, catching Sam's attention. "Are you alright?"

Sam nodded, getting back into the van. He sat down next to Carly who grabbed onto him, hugging him and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Everything will be alright, sir. We'll get her back," he reassured him before closing the door shut and banging on it three times, signaling the truck to go off.

The man in the suit watched the vehicle drive back off until he could no longer see it. He looked at the sky, seeing as it was almost dawn, observing the purples and pinks and oranges and yellows. A beautiful sight. The man thought back to the missing girl and pulled out a picture-given to him by Sam-that depicted her. Dirty blonde hair, bright green eyes, nice white, teethy smile. But there was something in those eyes that he didn't like. There was this…fire. This rage, an uncertainty. Even if he never met her, just seeing her picture got him the chills, this bad vibe about her. He didn't know what it was. He just knew that he didn't like it.

A man tapped him on the shoulder, bringing him out of his daze. He shoved the picture in his pocket, turning around to face the officer that brought him out of his daze. It was a young man by the name of Grane, a slight look of fear on his face. That was never a good sign, especially in this kind of business.

"Sir?" the officer, Grane, asked. "Foren, sir. We picked up an energon signal. Came and left. Kind of like the girl."

The man, Foren, sighed. This is what he had feared. The girl was taken by the Decepticons because of her connection to the war, to the boy, Samuel James Witwicky. "Well, then," he began, "get N.E.S.T. on the line, tell them about the discovery. They sure as hell aren't going to like it, but they know more about this shit then we do. So pack up all your men and get them the hell outta here, clear the way for the big boys. And," he looked through the trees, seeing some of the city, the lights on and alive, "make it quiet." And with that, he walked over and got in another van, driving off.

Grane sighed, turning around. "Alright!" he shouted, getting most of the men's attention. "Let's get this show on the road! Pack it up and make it quick and quiet!" He watched as the men started the pick up their equipment and load them into vans and drive off. Grane watched them for a while until he took out his cell phone in his pocket and flipped it open, calling the secret section of the government, a number only a few selective people knew. He was lucky to be one of them.

"Hello, this is Ronald Grammar of the U.S. government, please state your name," a voice on the other end of the line said.

"Mr. Grammar?" Grane asked, familiar with the voice. "This is Kenny Grane. We've got a…situation. Can you patch me over to N.E.S.T.?"

"Negative," the man answered.

"Well, can you at least send a message?" Grane asked urgently. "Regarding the Decepticons, sir. It appears they are back. And a missing girl, by the name of-"

"Hold on," Grammar said, clearing the line. About a minute later, he returned. "All right," he said, sighing. "Give me the heat."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Okay. This is 8 pages long in Microsoft Word. Longer than any other chapter, but not SO long. Next chapter will explain more about Cameron, N.E.S.T. will find out she is taken, and the real fun begins! Sorry, I had to get this thing going. ^o^ I just love it so much myself, and I'm the author! Yeah, I know. Braggy, weird, and conceited, but I can't help but love this story! =D Anways, thanks for reading, please review, and stay tuned! Hehehe =D<strong>


	14. Realizations Part 3

Chapter 14

"So how did it all begin?"

This was the question Cameron asked, a question she wanted to know the answer to so bad-a question she'd kill to know the answer to, now that she can-but also a question with a dreaded and feared answer. It left Cameron's heart pounding in fear and anticipation. Cameron looked down on her lap, where she sat on the ground next to Megatron. She fiddled with her hands, deciding how to word her next sentences, trying to take in all of the details but not too much at the same time. This was an overwhelming thing, not to be taken lightly.

Megatron looked down at the human sitting on his right. She was playing with hand she never knew she even had, trying to look at it and observe its every detail to remember what it looked like if she ever woke up from this dream. But, this wasn't a dream. It was reality. And in reality, anything and everything can happen. And this was the story that surprised Megatron almost just as much as it surprised Cameron, although he would never admit it:

"The AllSpark is something no one will ever understand. It has its own mind, its own games, its own logic. No Cybertronian could ever understand its true nature, and that is why we lived in secret fear of what it would do next. We all did our part in repowering it by destroying suns, for that is what the AllSpark craved. We kept it alive for curiosity and the belief that it was our duty to, for it created us. When the war started, Cybertron's golden age was gone forever. Optimus, failing to keep the AllSpark, the Cube, from me, launched it into space. I went after it; how dare he throw away something so precious to us like that, like it was a piece of junk? I followed it to Earth where it crash landed, and so did I. But, as you may know, I crash landed in the wrong place on your planet and was frozen. Those vermin took me in and experimented on me. But they didn't know what was coming when I awoke. During the battle of Mission City, when that insect boy directed the Cube's energy directly into my spark I died, but something else happened. The AllSpark did not die. The AllSpark can never die. For whatever reason, the AllSpark's energy found a new body; and that is you. The AllSpark's energy went inside an insect being out of pity, perhaps. Of course, when I onlined again and we met face to face, I sensed it in you. My scans told me it was true. But the thing that troubled me was that when you die, the AllSpark goes into the next body it seeks. And it might not be me. So I kept you alive."

"So you're going to kill me," said Cameron. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

"Not yet," Megatron simply replied, watching her.

"What's holding you back?"

"I need to ensure that once the AllSpark leaves you, it'll go into me. But I have yet to find a way for that to be possible."

A few moments went by before Cameron began again. "Why do you want to kill all humans, besides the obvious?"

Megatron growled, slightly annoyed. "The obvious?" he asked curiosly.

"The obvious," Cameron continued. "Besides the fact that all humans _should _die."

"Go on," Megatron commanded, intrigued by what this tiny creature had to say.

"Well, I wouldn't expect you to understand-"

"Go on," he ordered again, impatient.

Cameron looked up at him, then back to her lap. "Humans are fucking stupid, for one." Pause. "They kill whatever for God knows why. They are greedy and selfish and rude."

Megatron growled, liking what he heard. "Elaborate."

Cameron took a deep breath. "Like other animals. How could you hurt 'em? Stupid little bastards, but how? They have feelings, they can sense pain. And if humans were so damn smart, they would know that and not hurt them." Cameron's brain sparked with agreement, her heart hammering in rage. "And not to mention the damn Earth. No offense, but who the fuck destroys the planet they live on?" Megatron growled, but let her continue. "Humans destroyed the Earth's air, land, water, animals, and plants. And now they're apparently working on the damn atmosphere." Cameron pointed up at the sky, but Megatron's gaze never left her. "The ozone layer? Ever heard of that? They're destroying it now, too. And once that's gone, we're all doomed. And if humans were so smart, they'd stop. But they don't, because they aren't."

Cameron sighed, shaking her head. "You know, I just probably gave you another plan to kill all humanity, but I don't really give a damn right now. I just don't. They can die for all I care. Actually? I don't care. I'd fucking _love it._ All they do is destroy destroy destroy. They don't give a damn about anything else but themselves. So why should I care about them? All they are is greedy freaking sluts who only care about themselves and nothing else around them. It's like they want to kill everything and anyone to get their way. Hell, they're doing it already. They'd even kill the Earth if it's to get what they wanted. They would. _They would. _And I fucking hate them because of it."

Cameron was now gritting her teeth, scratching the ground with her new arm and bringing up sand to try to get her anger out, but it wasn't working so well. Anger boiled inside her yet again, and she realized that it didn't take much to get her really angry nowadays. She turned to Megatron with all the sarcasm she could muster. _"Need I go on?"_

Megatron smiled. This didn't exactly go as plan, but it was working wonderfully. "And you despise the humans?"

"As much as you do, probably even more."

"And you want them all dead?"

"I'd rather have them all not exist in the first place."

Megatron chuckled, his smile growing even wider. "That's a big thought for someone so little."

Cameron held up her new hand. "I'm not so little anymore."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Megatron silently thinking of a new plan, Cameron ranting on in her head about how much she hates humanity. A voice in the back of her head told her to stop, told her that what she was doing was wrong, but it seemed a mere whisper to all of the other voices in her head shouting that she was right, to go on. She took deep breaths, trying to control this raging fire in her heart. She hadn't had a real reason to be this mad in a while, and it seemed that she had so many now.

After the few minutes of silence, or heavy thinking, Cameron finally said, "So I wasn't always like this."

Megatron, taken out of his daze, looked back down at the creature by his feet. "No, you weren't. You were completely human before."

"And now I'm…half human?"

"You're part Cybertronian."

"Kinda like a cyborg?"

"…in your terms, I guess it would translate that way."

Pause. "So what now?" Cameron asked, the same question ringing through Megatron's mind.

"Tell me, do you want to save your planet?"

Cameron's head snapped up, the rage filling back inside her. She glared at Megatron. "The hell kinda question is that? Of course I do!"

Megatron ignored her insult. "And do you want to get back at humanity for all they have done?"

If Cameron still had a heart, it would've dropped. Silence ensued among them both as Cameron thought and Megatron patiently waited. Did she really want to get back at humanity? Was it really worth it?

_Of course it is, _a voice told her. _You said it yourself. 'All humans should die.'_

_Yes, _she countered. _But is it really worth it?_

_Completely. Think about putting the bad guys to jail._

_Except they get the death sentence._

_An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth._

_True. But what about Sam? And mom? And dad?_

_Small prices to pay for saving a planet and most of its inhabitants, don't you think?_

_But they'd be killed._

_Nothing is perfect in this petty little world._

_Neither are the humans. _Cameron didn't know where all this was coming from. Was she insane, battling with a voice inside her head? But this voice said the truth. Maybe it was rubbing off on her. It was a battle that ensued in her mind between two voices; truth and uncertainty.

_Killing off the humans doesn't seem as bad as you think, _the voice continued.

_Says you._

_Says us both. _

_How do you know what's right and wrong, anyways?_

_Think about it. The humans have done nothing but bad in their existence. They have managed to destroy their planet as a single race alone. They have slaughtered millions of poor, innocent animals. If-_when-_they find a way to live on oxygen not produced by plants, they will kill all of the plants, because there is no use for them anymore. Just because they can. Just to build another mall. They use others. Everything and everyone is a part of their own selfish game. Nothing can stop them. Nothing stands in their path…unless you want to be._

_And no one did before?_

_No one had the power that you now possess. You might as well enjoy it and use it while you have it. Who knows how long it could last? Once the humans find out, they'll kill you._

Cameron tensed. _They will?_

_With no remorse. No regrets. And no mercy._

Cameron took a deep breath. Megatron sat beside her, impatiently waiting, but with no other options. He watched as the creature battled with the voices inside her head, although he could not hear their conversation. He watched her body movement, the way she reacted. The way she slowly became tense and then, finally, when she took a deep breath of her air and all the tension went away as if she finally made her decision.

Cameron swallowed and looked up at Megatron. He was watching her, waiting. "You asking me to go against humanity?"

"Why not?" Megatron asked, going along with the game. "You even provided reasons yourself."

Cameron bit on her bottom lip for a second, thinking. "But what would we do?"

"Trust me. I have a plan."

Pause. Cameron rubbed her temples for a moment, trying to rid herself of the headache she just caused. She looked back up at him. "I don't like torture, Megatron. I can't stand it."

"You have lived in a world full of silent torture your whole life," Megatron explained. "Silent pleas for help. You are nothing _but_ used to it."

Cameron sat there, thinking. If she said yes, would there be no going back? If she changed her mind, would he kill her? Most likely. But if she said no, he'd kill her. But why would she say no? Someone has to teach humanity a lesson. And the gods need help. From a mere half human; a demigod. Was she to go through with it?

Cameron fondled her robotic arm again, thinking. Finally, after a few moments passed, she sighed in defeat. "All right," she said, her voice raspy. "I'll do it."

"So you're saying Cameron Witwicky is gone, and you tracked her to a warehouse that also had an energon signal?"

"Yes, sir. Officer Kenny Grane just called to confirm that."

"And are you sure? The Decepticons have her?"

Grammar smiled. "Unless one of your Autobots took her for a jolly ride and forgot to tell you, and bring her back."

"All of the Autobots are here and accounted for. They wouldn't do something like that."

"Any new recruits? Autobots just landing on Earth and forgot to tell Prime?"

"No, like I just said-they wouldn't do that."

Grammar's smile faded. "Then, Colonel Lennox, I'm afraid the Decepticons have her."

Lennox sighed, running a hand through his short hair. "We should've known they'd go after a liable target like her. What I don't understand is, why wouldn't they go after Sam if they had the chance?"

"Then they're planning something big. Something that involves the girl. If they had their chance at Samuel, they'd go for it-always."

"You're right." Lennox pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "We could only imagine what they want-or what they're doing to her right now."

"Wouldn't the Autobots have a clue?"

Pause. "Probably, probably not. You never know. I'll run it by Optimus. Thank you for calling, Ronald."

Grammar sighed. "Good luck, Lennox."

Lennox clicked off the communication. After years of not hearing from the big-time Decepticons, this is their plan? Use the girl? They're really coming down on the world after the death of The Fallen. Has Megatron hit rock bottom?

Groaning, Lennox began walking to the Autobot hanger. He walked over to the familiar semi-truck with a determined look on his face. The other Autobots in the hanger were being trained to deal with the humans, since they were helping fight the bad ones. There had been less and less Decepticons causing trouble out there, the only recent one being Shockwave with his driller-and that was just yesterday. Other Decepticon sighting have been diminished even before then. So, without a thing to do, the government has asked N.E.S.T. to aid them in human conflicts. And they were just fine with that.

"Optimus?" Will asked, coming to a stop a few feet away from the vehicle. "I have bad news."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey, it's me again! Well of course, I'm the author! ^o^ Am I on a roll or what? Well, now you know what Cameron is. And now, Sharta, I am sorry to inform you that she is NOT a mutant bunny. =D Anywho, thank you for reading and please review! The next few chapters (I haven't written them yet, but they are planned. I usually write a chapter and then upload it.) are going to be either rated T or M. Not that they are sexual or something, *shivers*, but they are...not gore-ish, but...mature. Sorry, I don't know how to word this. -_- But, whatever. Thank you again and 'stay tuned!'<strong>


	15. New Expectations

Chapter 15

_It's been four days since I agreed to join the Decepticons. It's been three days since I've accepted the sacrifices and acknowledged the consequences. And I'm not afraid._

_Megatron has begun training me since day one. He's been telling me about how to defeat Cybertronians and their usual weak spots. He told me how to dodge attacks and everything. Funny how he basically told me how to kill him. Maybe he trusted me enough. I don't know. On day two he taught me how to control when I change to 'robot mode,' as I've been calling it. He taught me how to change, where, and when. He's also taught me how to transform my arm into that plasma gun, how to shoot plasma blasts, how to control my energon blades, and my energy shield that comes out of my left forearm and that is enough to cover my body when crouching. My body is amazing-the things I can do! The energon blades and blue-like my eyes when I get mad, he said. They can cut through anything if not everything. They come out of the sides of my forearms and I grip onto the handle to control them better. There are ones on my feet, too-they come from the sides of my feet so I can run fast on them or cut with them, too. Kind of like ice skating-except I actually _like _this. _

_On day three he taught me how to fight. It was brutal. He never let me take any breaks and he never went easy on me. He kept on pushing me and pushing me and pushing me until I finally got it right. It went on all day long. I didn't get to have any food or water-because apparently my body still needs them-until I did a move right, or until I finally mastered how to dodge an attack and strike. I'm probably going to forget these things tomorrow, anyway. I don't see why he had pushed me so hard when I wasn't even ready, or like we were running out of time. _

_Today is day four since agreeing to align with the Decepticons, and we haven't done much. And when I say 'we,' I mean me. Megatron left to some sort of meeting or whatever with Dylan Gould, Carly's boss. He told me to stay at the camp until he got back, or until word from him that I should do something. I'd have to hand it to Megatron- aligning with big-time humans is pretty genius. I'd have never thought of it. Then again, I'm not millions of years old._

* * *

><p>Cameron sighed, bored out of her mind. She sat there where Megatron used to sit, up against the tree. She pressed her legs up against her chest and hugged them, resting her chin on her knees. Megatron has been gone for about 4 hours now. Where was this meeting, anyways? How was it even taking place?<p>

To keep herself occupied, she tried practicing the moves she's been taught yesterday, trying to remember then, trying to perfect them-to please her new master. Megatron would have high expectations of her if she perfected these moves already, since he seemed kind of mad when she kept on messing up yesterday. She felt like it was now her duty to do whatever he said whenever he said, and to do it well.

Once she was tired and felt like she had done well, she sat back down to take a break. Looking to her left, she noticed the Sparklings were recharging in the barrel. Truthfully, she didn't like them-they were needy and annoying, but she never told Megatron. She liked the fact that he was building up _some _form of army because, what Decepticons were actually left?

The sound of something piercing air made Cameron look up just as Starscream came crashing down on the ground next to her, bringing up sand and dust clouds atop her. Coughing and waving her hand in the air to ward off the dust, she stood up, rubbing the sand out of her eyes. "You butt!" she yelled, still coughing. "Look what you did to me!"

"I don't care, insect," he retorted, glaring down at her. Even though he knows she's part Cybertronian, he still calls her insect as if she isn't an equal. She probably wasn't, but she wasn't so far behind. Scowling, he continued. "I bring news from Lord Megatron."

Cameron stopped coughing, all of the dust out of her system. She looked up at Starscream with interest. "And?"

"_And, _he has a mission for you." Starscream smirked. "Time to see if you can handle it."

"He has a mission for me?" she asked, astonished, ignoring Starscream's insult. Why would he have a mission for her when she only trained for a day?

"We don't have much time. The Autobots have already discovered the Ark and has returned with its cargo."

"Huh?" Cameron's eyebrows furrowed in agitation. Why wasn't she told anything? "Okay, what's the Ark, and what cargo?"

Starscream growled and spit next to her, not exactly up to hitting her. "Figures you talk to Megatron about everything but the plan. The Ark is-or was-an Autobot spaceship that crash landed on your moon with very important cargo-space pillars. If you have all of the space pillars they can form a space bridge which can transport anything. The Autobots have recovered five of them and have returned back to Earth, along with Sentinel Prime, who was the former Autobot leader and also mentor of Optimus Prime. Before Sentinel crashed, he made a deal with Megatron."

"So Sentinel is a Decepticon?" Cameron asked, trying her best to catch up with millennia of war. "And he's going to steal the pillars from the Autobots and give them to Megatron?"

"Where Megatron will activate him, along with all of the rest. Once it is activated, it will bring an entire Decepticon army hidden in the moon to Earth. Then we will use the bridge to bring Cybertron here and enslave humankind," Starscream finished with a growl.

"Cool," Cameron exclaimed in admiration. How in the hell did Megatron conceive such a genius plan? "And Sentinel will kill Optimus? You know, Prime to Prime?"

"Yes, now we need to get going since your small mind is up to speed." Cameron tensed as Starscream bent down and picked her up, throwing her in the air and transforming where she landed in his cockpit. She felt she knew him too well.

Starscream took off, again throwing Cameron back in the seat. She sighed, annoyed. But then her heart raced as she remembered what they were doing, what _she _was doing-she was going on a mission. "Wait, what mission?"

Starscream's engine growled. "You need to extract information from a human named Francesco Aldo Battista. We think he's been giving information to N.E.S.T. And, besides-he's overdue on the information he's supposed to be giving _us." _Starscream chuckled. "It _should _be easy getting by his security."

"Security?" Shit. "Like military security? Is this going to be hard?"

"It _shouldn't _be hard for Megatron's new apprentice, now, should it? He'd be _soo _dissappointed in hearing his new apprentice has _failed _her first mission." Starscream's voice was dripping with sarcasm as he constantly filled her with fear with his words.

Cameron shivered, suddenly finding herself in a situation that she didn't like. A situation that could kill her. So she was expected to get by security and extract information for her first mission? And if she didn't, Megatron would surely be pissed. If she messed this up, Francesco would obviously tell N.E.S.T. again, ruining her cover and Megatron's. They'd be in deep shit. Not to mention the fact that she wouldn't even get by the security. She may be stronger, but she wasn't invincible.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Cameron asked, trying to keep the fearful thoughts down and away. "This Francesco Battista…it sounds Italian. We going to Italy?"

"We're going to Italy."

* * *

><p>"Cameron has been abducted by the Decepticons?" asked Optimus, leaning down on one knee to be closer to Colonel Lennox. "And your men are sure of this."<p>

"We've sent some over to further investigate," Lennox explained, "and they've confirmed an energon signal."

Optimus sighed, shifting his optics, trying to think. Now what would the Decepticons want Cameron Witwicky for? "They're obviously looking for a way to get to Sam."

"But the thing is-why would they grab the girl if they're that close to grabbing the boy?" asked Lennox, confused.

"That is what is troubling me as well," Optimus said. "They have a plan-and it involves Cameron. It may or may not involve Sam later on."

They were silent for a few moments until Lennox popped a very serious question: "Do you think they're hurting her?"

Optimus looked down at the human by his feet and rose to his full height. There was a pause between the two, but Colonel Lennox understood. Sighing angrily, he walked off, leaving Optimus alone. Lennox knew the answer Optimus ensued-no one knew if they were truly hurting the girl.

* * *

><p>Sam angrily drove his car down the road, his destination home. He's absolutely had it today. First, he meets a strange man by the name of Jerry Wang who shoved him into a bathroom stall, pulled down his pants and handed him a document attached to his thigh. Second, he finds out a secret about the Decepticons. And third, he was attacked by one. First they come for his sister, and now him? What were they planning?<p>

Sam eased up on the wheel for a moment, lost in his thoughts, his body becoming less tense by a single question. _What were they planning?_

_What were they planning?_

* * *

><p>It was about two hours later until Starscream finally slowed down and landed deep in the woods of Montana, Italy. He transformed and, as usual, roughly caught Cameron in his land, then let her drop the rest of the way to the ground.<p>

But Cameron knew this trick already, being way used to it, and put her legs down out in front of her, landing down on them. She landed with a grunt and stood, looking up at Starscream. He growled, kind of wanting her to land on her face. But he just shrugged it off and reminded her not to screw up before jumping back in the air, transforming and zooming back off.

Cameron sighed, watching him go. Her heart began to pound again, knowing she really couldn't screw this thing up. But what was that reversed psychology trick again? If you're nervous and you keep telling yourself you can't do it, then you won't be able to because your mind won't allow you to? It's just like when you keep thinking you're sick but you're really not and your mind makes you believe you are.

So she breathed in and out, in and out. She couldn't let these mere _thoughts_ bring her down and set her off on her first mission. So she walked.

Cameron walked for a while until she came to civilization. Starscream told her where this man-Francesco Aldo Battista-lived. He told her a little bit about the security, telling her that she'd have to figure out the rest, and 'that is how she will learn.' Bull, she thought, but she didn't want to challenge him. In a way, it made some sense.

Starscream also told her the deadline-tomorrow night. Cameron walked up to a man walking by and poked him on his shoulder, pointing to her wrist to ask 'what is the time?' He nodded and smiled, understanding. He held out his watch, showing her the time-it was 5:42pm. She had an…okay amount of time, she guessed. She looked up at the man and mumbled a thank you before walking off, forming a plan in her head.

She went from person to person, asking where the library was so she could print directions on how to get to Francesco. Finally she came across someone who could speak English as well-an American student living in Italy, going to some college here. She asked Cameron if she needed help finding her parents, but Cameron smiled and dismissed the idea, saying a thank you and moving on.

She crossed blocks until she came across a library and went inside. Cameron headed straight for the computers and turned it on, using Google Translate and MapQuest to help her find Francesco Battista, wishing she'd be sent in a bit more prepared. Cameron didn't know a single word in Italian, so how was she supposed to complete this mission? She be seen as too much of an outcast and people would question her being here. Megatron didn't really think Earth customs through.

She printed the directions in English, running out of the library as one of the librarians yelled after her, probably demanding a fee for printing it. Her heart pounded against her chest as she ran a few blocks down from the library, trying to escape and look inconspicuous at the same time. But two school girls were whispering in each other's ears, looking at her in disgust at the same time. She hated not knowing what other people were saying! What if they were talking about her? They were _so _talking about her.

Ridding herself of the useless thoughts, she tried to focus back on the plan, the mission. She looked at the printed sheet of paper which also had a clothing store's directions on it, along with a hair salon's directions on it. She knew it may have been stupid, but looking at her torn up clothes and how battered she may look, she knew she needed to blend in better if anyone was going to believe that she was just some average Italian girl.

Folding the paper in her pocket, she knew she needed money first. But how much money? Where would she get it? Don't they have Euros here? She didn't know how the Euro system worked. Her heart skipped a beat as she knew that she needed to steal again. She needed to steal a wallet to get her the money to blend in.

Taking a deep breath to not get herself so nervous again, she began walking, looking for a target. It was pretty dark now, but not dark enough to indicate late night where most of the stores would be closed. So she had time. Kind of.

Thoughts ran through her head. Should she just pretend to bump into someone and take their wallet? Or should she just steal someone's purse? No, the cops would be all on her ass. Or should she just ask someone again, another person who understands English, perhaps? She clenched her fists in frustration. Cameron had never stolen anything in her whole entire life. So how did she plan on stealing a wallet?

Cameron walked, occasionally bumping into people, thinking. She knew she couldn't venture far from the library, because her directions were based from that location. So she walked around in long circles, hoping she wouldn't really appear suspicious on the cameras. She kept on walking, looking for faces of Americans until she finally found one.

It was a man sitting on a bench, talking on his phone. He had dark brown hair and a thick dark brown beard and sideburns. The man was wearing jeans and a black leather jacket, wrinkles on his face from concentration. She walked over to him.

"Excuse me, sir?" she interrupted. "Sir?"

The man looked up, surprised. He soaked her in-her dirty, torn clothes and the fake desperate look in her eyes. He muttered something in Italian before hanging up the phone and shoving it in his pocket. "Yes? And how did you know I was American?" he asked with a thick Italian accent.

"I could just tell," she explained, smiling. "No offense, but you're not exactly tan or anything."

The man laughed, his eyes smiling. "You don't exactly look Italian either. American?" When she nodded, he continued. "I came here ever since I turned 21 and never left. But you probably didn't come over here to ask for my life story. What can I help you with?"

Cameron froze, but retained her smile. How was she going to word this? 'Can I have some money?' No, that won't work. She'd just need to think up a good excuse. "Umm," she began, weary, her face turning red from embarrassment, "'thaveanymoneyand-"

"Wow, wow," the man said, smiling and standing up. "Slow down! I can barely hear a word you say." He then reached inside his pocket and withdrew his wallet, searching through it before handing her some money. "Here you go. Good luck, kid."

Cameron took the money and watched as he walked off, her cheeks returning back to normal color. She rifled through the money, wondering if it was enough and how much it actually was. Realizing that she actually did it-she actually got the money-she chuckled, shoving the money in her own pocket and started heading back to the library.

About two minutes later she returned back at the library entrance and took out the directions. It then took her about ten minutes to get to the clothes store and another ten to pick out a decent outfit-a simple black shirt and black jogging pants, keeping the shoes on. For the good of the mission, she decided, she'd have to throw away her clothes to blend in better, so she did, and changed into her new outfit. It fit well and it would help her blend in better with the night. She loved it.

Next was the salon. Backtracking her way back to the library, it took her about 15 minutes this time to find the salon, getting confused with the street signs halfway there. She took a deep breath as she entered the salon, telling herself that it was for the good of the mission, for her life. She had to do this. She needed to blend in better and not be detected on the cameras by N.E.S.T. That if she really wanted to be part of the Decepticons, she needed to change. Everything.

Gritting her teeth, her decision was made-she entered the salon. Since she didn't know how to speak Italian, she showed with her hands how short she wanted it, and she pointed to a colored object to indicate what color she wanted it. At first the woman at the desk started shaking her head, speaking Italian, but Cameron out the rest of the money the man gave her on the desk in front of the woman. The woman looked down and gasped, then looked back up to Cameron for confirmation. She nodded her head.

An hour later, Cameron left the salon feeling good about herself, but a part of her missing her old self. She laughed out loud at the thought of being so immature, unable to stop until she had had enough of all of the people staring at her and giving her dirty looks. She stomped off in the other direction, stopping only to stare at her new self in a reflection on one of the shop windows.

There wasn't that much to see because of how dark it became-she figured it must've been at least ten o'clock right around now-but she was still illuminated some by the street lights around her. Cameron's once sandy blonde, chest length hair had turned into chin length jet black hair in an hour. Her usually laid-back clothing now was replaced by all black clothing. She stared at herself for a while, slightly smiling, liking what she saw. At least her eyes didn't change color-they still where the vibrant green eyes she's always had. And she liked it that way. Besides, hair grows back.

Cameron made her way back to the library, walking through the streets with confidence and a slight smile on her face. Girls looked at her in envy; guys looked at her like she was some Greek goddess. And, for a minute, she let herself indulge in the fact that she _felt _like a Greek goddess, that she _felt _really pretty. But, she remembered her mission almost immediately, and the smile was wiped of her face, replaced by determination, as she reached the library and made her way to Francesco Aldo Battista's house.

It was almost 11 o'clock when she made it to Francesco's house, and Cameron's feet were tired. But, as she stood by the large front gate, adrenaline coursed through her. She felt as if she could take on all of the security and kill them all without so much as a scratch. She felt she could run all the way around the world and make it back by midnight. To say the least, she felt determined. She felt ready.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Okay, I just realized that when I put up those line things that go all the way across the page, they don't stay there when I upload them here, so it just looks weird. I've added then onto this chapter, but not I gotta do the rest. -_- Great...anyway, she gets a mission! Hehehe! XD *clears throat and stops jumping up and down* Sorry...lost my cool right there...anyways, you're going to be seeing a lot more of this dark side later on, and that's all I'm going to say. I'm so excited for this story! ^o^ Hope you liked it and thanks for reading. As always, review! <strong>


	16. Mission

Chapter 16

Two guards by the gate, rotating every hour. Two stand by the door, also rotating every hour. Four on the roof, rotating every two hours. Exactly 57 guards in total, counting the ones on the inside.

That's all Starscream told her.

Didn't seem so hard.

"Okay," Cameron whispered to herself, hiding behind a bush, watching the guards from a safe distance away. "I got this." She saw the guards up close after they told her to go away when she was standing by the gate earlier and saw that they were holding some sort of rifle and a pocket machete. She almost snorted. If she had seen them on any normal day, she'd even suspect that they were hiding something-or someone-very important inside. They were either trying too hard, or were just plain stupid-or both.

Cameron kept on silently reassuring herself that everything would be alright if she just stayed to the plan. And what was the plan?

Kill them all.

And she'd have to do it before some sort of reinforcements or police arrived, hearing the shooting and screaming.

Taking in another deep breath, she found she was breathing shakily, scared and nervous of her possible death. Growling, she told herself to get over it, and that she was going to be fine. When she took another deep breath, it wasn't shaky. She sighed.

Figuring it was about time to get up and start moving, she walked back up to the gate, her head held high. She smiled when she retained the attention of a shocked and pissed off guard. Standing at the gate once again, she gripped the bars and watched as he made his way in front of her.

"No!" he shouted, outraged, barely knowing any English. "What you doing, child? I told you stay away! Now go! Go!"

But Cameron didn't move, hoping everything will go according to plan and somehow _knowing _that it will. She gripped the cold metal bars tighter, her breath coming up in a fog in front of her. She watched the guard's breath do the same as slowly he started to breathe faster in agitation. "What's the matter, mister?" she taunted. "Afraid of a little girl?"

The man made his way right in front of her, gripping the metal bars as well, his knuckles turning white from his already red hands. "Look, little girlie," he hissed through his teeth. "I don't like playing games. You will not win with me. I suggest you leave, never come back. Understood?"

His eyes were sharp as he bore into hers, but she remained calm and collected, because she knew a very important factor that he didn't know.

He just fell into her trap.

With a slight _hiss, _an energon blade came out of her right forearm and straight through the man's heart. His eyes brew big and he looked down at the situation he got himself into. He didn't do so much as gasp when she retracted the blade back in and he fell to the ground. Cameron pretended to look shocked as he fell down, his eyes open, staring into nothingness. The other guard came rushing over and fell down next to his comrade, slightly slapping his face to see what was wrong. But then the pool of blood came, a deep red liquid forming around the man's body and getting on his pants. Sudden realization dawning on him, his eyes turned into slits, his head turning back to face Cameron.

"Ah!" he yelled, grabbing his gun and running up to the bars, aiming at her. His palms and pants from the knee down were soaked in blood, his shoes leaving footprints of it behind. "You!" he shouted, knowing even less English than his now dead friend. "You killed friend! One reason why I no kill you! Now!"

"Because," Cameron explained, "how could one kill another when they are already dead?" With another hiss, her energon blade came out again, hitting this man in the stomach. He yelped, falling to the floor, his gun clanging down beside him. He groaned, sucking in sharp breaths as Cameron climbed the fence with ease, landing down softly by him. The blood pooled around him also, making squishing sounds as Cameron stepped through it to stand beside him. "Do you see what I mean?" she asked him, tilting her head a bit. "Now how are you going to kill me?" She bent down and picked up the gun, sticking to the plan in her head. Always sticking to the plan.

She pointed the gun at his head and readied herself for the recoil as she watched him shake his head quickly from side to side, mumbling, "No, no, please, no, wife, children…" Blood poured from his mouth as he pleaded for his life. He looked utterly pathetic in her own eyes, completely forgetting about the machete in his right pocket, clearly forgetting how to fight. One thing Megatron told her; always fight, no matter how damaged you are-something good may come out of it. She took one last look into his pleading eyes before taking the shot, glad there was a silencer on the gun. She turned to the cameras mounted on the walls and shot them, also. knowing the men inside have probably already seen the guards' deaths and preparing the kill her as well, but not caring.

She threw the gun on the ground next to the man, looking at him one last time-the little bullet wound in the middle of his forehead, blood gushing out of it, the frozen look in his eyes. She moved on, walking through all the blood, hearing the rhythmic _squish squish, _like walking through a puddle on a rainy day. Walking over to the first guard, she stopped, looking down at him, thinking, before a sick idea came into her mind.

"Since you are my first kill," she muttered to the corpse, kneeling down and getting the machete out of his pocket, "then the world shall know, also." She flipped the machete in her hands once, getting the feel of it. Cameron didn't think long about the consequences following her next action before carving a small but deep 'C' in the man's forehead, not caring that it gives away her identity. She dipped the machete and her hands in the man's blood, not knowing much about how to track people and their fingerprints, but trying to get rid of the evidence anyway. She let the machete lay there in the blood as she stood up, hating the feel of another man's blood on her hands and getting this constant urge to wipe it off on the ground or on her clothes, but ignoring it as she began walking to the front door of the house, the guards already positioned to shoot her from the distance away.

Colonel Lennox never went through more agonizing and constant wars than this one. The Cybertronian war, although he has only been in it for a few years and a few battles, was the one war that never seemed to end to him. The Iranians and Iraqis were persistent; yes, but the Decepticons? They never stopped. It was as if they multiplied by the minute and their legacy fought in the war with them. Optimus Prime told him that their war has lasted for millennia. That, to Colonel, was ridiculous. What war lasts for millennia, literally, that has not yet come to an agreement of some sorts. He just hoped that something like that never happened here on Earth in the future, a war lasting for many generations.

He had just calmed down Sam enough to tell him to go back home, and that everything was going to be taken care of, but her didn't let him go home alone-he got his old guardian back, Bumblebee. It was one thing that his sister, Cameron, was taken, and now he was almost killed. Colonel Lennox couldn't figure out what the Decepticons were doing and why they were doing this, and he didn't think he'd ever figure it out.

A deep feeling came about in his heart, telling him that this was very wrong. Lennox _never _liked knowing things about his enemies too late. He never liked _not_ knowing what his enemies were going before they made their move. And this was especially bad, considering they were dealing with Cybertronians here, their leader being one that never stayed down, never stayed dead.

A feeling a dread began to circulate throughout his brain. This was not good. At. All.

Cameron was walking up to the guards until she was a few yards away, aware of both of their rifles pointing right at her.

"Ay!" the one on the left yelled. "What are you doing? What do you want-"

"-Who are you here for?" the man on the right interrupted, shifting his feet.

Cameron smiled, feeling totally in control. "To answer your questions, sirs," she began, "I am here to kill you all, I want you all dead, and I'm here for your boss."

The man on the right started shooting her first, the one on the left quickly following. Cameron, by instinct, immediately transformed to 'robot' mode, her plasma cannon blazing. She shot the men both, each one in their chests, and that was enough to blow them back and have them land against the wall. A hole the size of a head-not deep, but deep enough-was oozing bloods from their chests from where she hit them. She moved besides them and opened the door with her left hand, her right still the plasma cannon, and opened the door, walking inside.

"See you inside, Bee," Sam said to Bumblebee, opening the door and heading up the stairs to his apartment. To say he was pissed was the understatement of the century. The Decepticons-these _things-_decide to randomly take his sister for days on end with no sign of her-of whether she's alive or not. Not knowing made him angry, his heart telling him that she was okay but his mind telling him that she was probably dead.

Then, earlier today, he was attacked by one, a really weird looking Decepticon, kind of like a chicken, or a turkey. Bastard tried to kill him, right after he killed that man, Jerry Wang. Jerry warned him about their return, warned him about a secret plan they were developing, a secret hidden in the government. And now it was out there. He was going to figure this out by himself and the help of some friends, and he was going to get his sister back, even without the help of the government. He's done it before, he can do it again.

Cameron walked cautiously inside, looking around all corners and double checking the shadows. She knew this from the horror movies she'd always stay up all night watching with Tiara-they bad guys would always hide in the shadows and wait for their prey to walk beside them blindly, then pounce.

She heard noises coming from above, shouts erupting from the mouths of angry men. They spoke Italian, so she didn't know what they were saying, but she had an idea; "Kill! Kill! Kill!" Then she heard the sounds of footsteps pounding down the stairs, and just realized she had no idea what she was doing.

No idea. She had a well thought out plan for how she would get inside. Then she just figured she'd kill her way to Francesco. But they were 57 guards, and she took care of two of them. Only two. She's have to kill 55 more. Could she do it?

But Cameron didn't have time do to anything before she saw figures bounding down the steps, their guns flailing in their arms. They ran to the bottom of the steps until the first man stopped, causing the rest of them to come to a halt as well. He aimed his rifle at her, yelling something in Italian, but Cameron didn't stick around to try to translate.

She bound into action, transforming into full robot mode, her energon blades out at her sides. They began shooting at her, some actually hitting her, some going way over her head. She charged at them, dodging the bullets she could, and began her attack.

Coming only a few feet away from the man in front, she jumped in the air and landed on top of him with her blades puncturing his chest. She retracted the blades out of the man's chest and swiped at the few people within her blades' reach, causing only a cut to few but tearing complete limbs off of the rest. They screamed, clutching their now gone arms or legs, dropping their guns to the ground. The people on the staircase either began retreating up the steps or firing even harder at her. Not that any of it mattered to Cameron. Roaring, Cameron sliced and stabbed at the rest of the men, decapitating and slicing one man almost completely in half. Their screams of fear were quickly silenced by a simple swipe of Cameron's blade, and she loved it. But she was sustaining some damage. Roaring again, she moved in for the finish, running through the people slicing them as she went.

She stopped at the top of the staircase, looking back down. It was a mess of body and body parts everywhere, so much blood that it could actually go as part of the carpet. Detached arms were laying on either their owners or friends, detached legs underneath bodies. It was like a mosaic of dismembered bodies and blood. Some men groaned, some cried, some whimpered. There must've been at least 25 or 30 men down there, dead or knocking on death's door. Proud of her sick work, Cameron finished off the rest of the men on the stairs with her plasma cannon, then moved onto the next.

Men poured out of rooms and shot at her with a variety of weapons; weapons ranging from pistols to a sniper. The snipers shot her from long range but she took care of them first with her plasma cannon, then went onto the rest with her blades.

Charlotte Mearing didn't like the Transformers. She didn't like their war, or their attitudes. And she certainly didn't like the fact that they brought their war to Earth and endangered everyone because of that one stupid act.

She was the Director of National Intelligence, not a therapist. Why couldn't they ever take care of their own problems? Why did some other race always had to get involved? Why did their war ever start, and why did it last as long as it did? Hell, it's still going.

The Transformers were greedy, rude, and cruel, yet cunning and intelligent at the same time. Even Optimus Prime has his faults-many, at that. All the Autobots wanted to do, it seems, is kill the Decepticons and their own race and planet. All the Decepticons wanted to do was repair their planet. Didn't seem bad, right? But they wanted to destroy another planet to do so, even when they don't have to. And that's what made them the bad guys.

Now it was confirmed that the Decepticons have taken a human child, Cameron Donna Witwicky, because of her connection to Samuel James Witwicky. The nerve of those guys. She didn't even want to think what they were doing to her, given all of the bad things that they've done in the past. Mearing couldn't even imagine what they were even planning. With her knowledge, they're using Cameron to get to Sam, to get to the Autobots. But what were they looking for? Was this a kidnap to kill or a kidnap for trade?

Charlotte sighed and opened her drawer, getting her bottle of pain pills out. She downed two with her coffee to ease her headache, wishing the pills would have a faster affect. No human was meant to deal with a war between mechanical beasts that lasted for millennia. Mearing didn't even know where to start looking for the girl, or preparing for whatever was the come.

At this point, she-they all-were just going along with the punches, and just hoped Cameron was alright.

Cameron finished the last man that stood in her way and watched as he slumped down. She didn't even turn around for she knew what was behind her-at least 50 dead bodies, body parts thrown about, the walls and floors drenched with blood. It wasn't something that she needed to see, so she moved on.

Cameron opened doors here and there, trying to look for the right one, the one with Francesco inside. She stopped only after she opened the fifth door and began getting shot at and knew it was this one.

Inside were six men with machine guns, desperately shooting at her. Cameron already had obtained enough damage-not that she got damaged that easily-but these machine guns would maybe puncture her metal skin. She wouldn't have it. Switching back to her plasma cannon, she blasted them, making them fall into one another and leaving gaping holes in their chests.

They screamed in pain and even one tried charging at her. She took care of him by kicking him high in the face and blasting him in the head, disintegrating it. It only took her about a minute to take care of them all and she fell to her knees in pain. She clutched at her stomach where a few of the bullets penetrated it; felt it hit some important robot organs or wires whatever. Her face scrunched up in pain from it all and she almost screamed out but kept herself together, in sake of her dignity, in sake of her mission.

Forcing herself to stand up, she went from limping to running as she went through the only door in the room. It led to a staircase and she ran up it, almost knowing what she was going to find up there-Francesco escaping on a helicopter. Her prediction was right: as she reached the top of the staircase, she burst open the door, welcomed to the night sky and the sight of Francesca being escorted by two large men to a mini helicopter where their pilot was waiting.

Roaring in rage, she aimed her cannon at the helicopter and shot many times, running at it as she did so. Helicopter parts went flying and the two men covered Francesco with their bodies to keep him from being damaged. Cameron ran and jumped over the bodily mass, still running at the chopper. The pilot tried desperately to lift off, but his attempts were proven useless as Cameron kept on shooting at the controls. Screaming one last time, she ran at the chopper and jump-kicked it, moving it a little off the edge of the building. Its weight went against itself as it fell off the edge of the building, the sound of the screaming pilot echoing away until the loud boom as it hit the bottom.

Laughing manically, she turned around to face the three men behind her. They slowly got up from their positions on the ground, looking at her in fear. The man on the left pulled out a pistol and was about to shoot it at her but she shot him first, leaving him to fall back on the ground with a thump. She shot the man on the right as well, leaving only her and Francesco on the roof.

Francesco's shoulders were hunched in fear and uncertainty as he looked at her in admiration. "Very good," he said, his voice low and harsh. His accent was sharp. "You are Megatron's new assassin? And how did he come across to meeting you, my dear?"

Cameron growled. "I'm not your 'dear,' Francesco. And to answer your question, we've known each other for a long time now. " Cameron began walking towards him, her right arm still transformed as a cannon. "I need answers, Francesco. Are you willing to supply them?"

Francesco laughed. "Depends on the questions, _my dear. _And what would dear old Megatron like to know?"

"Cut the crap, man." Cameron stood up right by Francesco, and with his small frame, they were about the same height, Francesco being a little bit taller. "We all know you are working for N.E.S.T., supplying them information." Francesco shifted from foot to foot, licking his lips. "And you are going to pay for that. _But, _not only did you commit a crime against the Decepticons, you are also overdue on some information. _Important _information. And if you give it to me now, I may spare your life."

"I don't have any infor-"

"In your pockets, maybe?" Cameron smiled. "Why else would you be fleeing this building if you weren't scared for your damn life?"

Francesco licked his lips again, his eyes shifting from side to side. "I don't know what you are-"

"Give it to me," Cameron threatened, her eyes glowing. "I didn't kill all your 57 men for nothing. The cleaning bill is going to be a bitch, though. Do I need to torture the information outta you?"

Francesco rummaged through his pockets, coming up with a flash drive. He held it up and handed it to her, to which she gladly took, transformed back to 'human' mode, and put it in her own pocket. With her gun still pointed at his head, she continued. "Well then. Good boy. But, you do understand…I'm still going to have to kill you."

Francesco's eyes widened, the whites slowly turning red. "No, please…it won't happen again."

"It's too late, Francesco."

Francesco dropped to his knees, his fingers interlocked. "No! Please! I'll do anything! It won't happen again! I'll be loyal-I'll be loyal to the Decepticons!"

"You've already made your choice." The gun buzzed to life, a light blue aura surrounding it until a blue plasma blast came out, hitting Francesco square in between his eyes.

He yelped, falling back down on to the concrete with a splat, his eyes frozen in fear, open, looking at nothing. A big gaping hole sat between his eyes, gushing out blood and insides.

Cameron sighed, looking back down at the man by his feet. "Poor son of a bitch," she muttered, walking back to the door downstairs. "Should have just stayed with the winning side."

The first thing Cameron did when she was done with her duty was go to Francesco's bathroom and tried her best to wash all of the blood off of her. When it was mostly off and she was mostly wet, she transformed back to 'human' mode and washed up again. Then she surveyed the flash drive, trying to figure out whether it was real or not, before giving up after she figured she didn't know what a real flash drive should look like.

Cameron debated between testing to see if the files were actually on there, but then decided that she didn't know what was supposed to be on there, and that she was actually told nothing for the mission. She wasn't told the important details. And she was told to do was kill some guys to get some information. It was a suicide mission. Did Megatron really expect her not to die?

Would Megatron actually do that? Cameron didn't know, but she told herself that she'd decide on the expression of his face when she returned back to base.

Cameron exited the building and walked back into town. She tried to figure where she came from-which woodsy area it was exactly-tried to backtrack her steps until she hit a wooden area and decided to rest there for the rest of the night. Starscream would do two things-either pinpoint her location and take her back to base, or pinpoint her location, kill her-or let her be-and then just leave. At this point, Cameron didn't really even care. She knew she would get back one way or another, and Starscream would be punished for it-it didn't really matter. They needed that information, whatever it was.

Cameron laid up against a tree and closed her eyes, planning on taking a nice, long, deserved sleep. It wasn't long before she drifted into dreamworld, dreaming about how pround Megatron would be of her, dreaming about the destruction of the human race, dreaming about how happy she was.


	17. Black Is The New Sexy

Chapter 17

Cameron awoke to a loud boom on the ground next to her. She opened her eyes, startled, and turned her head, only to see Starscream staring down right at her. She then looked at the sky, seeing as it was night. So she either slept for a whole day or only for a few minutes. Cameron didn't expect anything less than sleeping throughout the next day-she was extremely tired from her efforts yesterday.

Cameron stood up, facing Starscream and held out the flash drive. "Is this real?" she asked, skipping the formal 'hellos,' knowing he wouldn't care nor return one.

Starscream growled, bending down to her level. _Impossible, _he thought, scanning the object. Once he identified it was real, a smell caught his eye-the smell of human blood, one of his most favorite smells. His receptors told him it was coming off of the human in front of him, that she was almost completely covered in it, or had been. Smirking, he hoped it was hers.

"Well?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Is it real, Starscream."

"Yes," he confirmed, allowing a wave of relief to wash over Cameron. "It amazes me how you didn't die. I didn't think scum like you would do a job like that, even if it was easy."

"Starscream?" Cameron asked, her heart flaring with anger. "I have heard stories about you, when you were on Cybertron fighting in the war. You're a coward, a wimp. You've always been known to retreat. So don't stand here, giving me this bullshit, when you know it as well." Spitting, Starscream raised his hand to swipe her with his claws, but she rolled out of the way in time. "If you went against 57 of _your _guys, bigger than you, stronger, then you would have retreated. It wouldn't surprise anybody." Roaring, Starscream swiped at her again but missed as she ducked out of the way, moving to stand up against a tree. She sighed. "You know what? We're not getting anywhere. Can we just leave? I can't _wait_ to see Megatron's reaction when he realizes I succeeded."

Growling, he snatched her up, squeezing her tight. She sucked in a sharp breath, shocked, as he held her in front of his face. _"Never _speak to me like that, you human scum! I-"

"-can't believe you," Cameron wheezed out. She talked through her gritted teeth. "Can't we just go? I've heard this speech before."

Starscream threw her high up in the air, transforming into a jet and catching her in his cockpit again, becoming a normal routine. Cameron laughed, completely used to it, constantly expecting nothing more about him. She only knew him-_really _knew him-for only a few days, and yet she could tell what he was going to be doing next. Another thing Megatron told her-keep changing things up, or your actions will be predicted by your enemies. Sometimes, he just gave the best advice-she constantly found them coming true right before her eyes.

Once she was done laughing, she sat back in the chair, looking down on her lap, expecting another very long, boring, and uncomfortable ride when she noticed her sandy blonde hair wasn't cascading down her shoulders. She smiled, finding plot for conversation. "Hey, Screamer," she called, twirling her fingers through her short hair.

The engine growled and he lurched from side to side a little. "Don't call me that, human."

"Do you like my new do?" she asked, fluffing up her hair dramatically. "Don't tell me you didn't notice it."

"I'm not blind, insect!" he cried. "I noticed you have changed your filth organic nature in my absence."

"Well, do you like it?" she repeated. "I chose for the short do to get it out of my face during fighting, and it worked-my fighting has enhanced, not having it in my face." Starscream said nothing, so she continued. "And the color, you ask? It was so no one really recognizes me. Yeah, yeah, I know-they can still recognize me, I still have the same face, and that's not gonna change. It's just that I remembered telling my parents that in no way possible was I going to change my hair color-and that's just it. You can figure the rest out." Smiling, she figured out a way to _really _fuck with him. "I also chose black because it's sexy. Isn't black _such a sexy color?"_

Starscream growled, realizing what she was doing. He lurched the seat a little, causing her to grip onto its sides to keep balanced. Cameron's smile widened, knowing she was winning. She continued. "Well _I _think black's a sexy color. Don't I just look so sexy, Starscream?" The seat abruptly lurched forward, causing her head to bang on the console. Her hand rushed up to meet the throbbing pain, trying to rub the pain away. "Ow, you stupid-"

_Bam. _He banged her head again.

Cameron hissed, rubbing at the pain, but chuckling at the win. "So I'll take that as a yes?"

_Bam. _

Megatron was sitting at his usual spot-up against a tree, doing his usual thing-feeding the Sparklings. He ignored Igor's annoying jabber as Igor ran around in circles around him, chanting his name. Soon Earth will see who the true ruler is. Soon, they will see.

Megatron blinked when he heard the familiar sound of Starscream closing in on him. Starscream landed next to him, projecting the AllSpark host out onto the ground in front of him. Megatron turned to look at her as she struggled up onto her feet, turning around and shouting vehemently at Starscream. Megatron observed her, noting the change in her-her chest-length hair was cut to the length of her chin, and her sand-colored hair was now jet black. Her rag clothes were now replaced with new, completely black ones, but her shoes remained on her feet.

Not only did her appearance change, Megatron noticed, but her personality changed as well. She seemed to be more open and 'okay' with Starscream, showing as she was insulting and swearing at him even more, without fear of being crushed under his feet. She smelled of human blood-in fact, she smelled as if she were drenched in it recently. Megatron smiled. Yes, she has changed, much to his own liking.

When she was done insulting him and him her, she turned around and faced Megatron. Noticing he was staring at them the whole time, she quickly bowed down, muttering a "My lord," before walking over and handing him a device. He took it gladly between his claws and surveyed it, looking over at Starscream only to receive a nod, authenticating it.

Yes, she has changed _much_ to his liking. _Much. _

"Good work, my little host," he hissed, watching her stand up on her feet.

"My pleasure, my lord," she said, the corner of her mouth turning up. Cameron bounced back and forth on her heels, suddenly nervous. "So, uh…" she began, not quite sure how to word her request. "Are you gonna…tell me what's on it, my lord?"

"No," he replied sharply. "Nothing you need to know about, host." Laserbeak then fly by Cameron, making her yelp, and sat down on Megatron's shoulder, cawing. Megatron handed him the device to which he took between his claws and flew off once again, chuckling.

Cameron sighed, looking down at her feet. She knew this was going to happen. I mean, what did she expect, to be included in every meeting, to be behind the scenes on every move they made? No, she was just a drone. She was only useful for killing and receiving things no one else would or could. Just because she received something important for them didn't mean she was going to receive recognition or special treatment. She did what she was supposed to be, done. Cameron let out a long breath, looking back up at Megatron. "Understood."

"Good," he agreed, smiling his crooked smile. Well, he only had half a face. "You may rest now, apprentice. Your work is done. For now."

Back at N.E.S.T., things weren't going so well. For anyone.

Sam had just informed the Director of National Intelligence that they had all just fallen into a Decepticon trap. Why did they allow themselves to do this? Why couldn't they put the pieces together themselves, not have some wannabe hero do it for them? They had all of the resources-Sam had nothing, yet he figured it out?

Well, it made some sense. Optimus Prime usually was the voice of reason, but he was too mesmerized in having his old mentor and friend back. Without their voice of reason, N.E.S.T. wasn't very productive. Their voice of reason was not only that, but the only one who knew the Decepticons like the back of his hand. He knew all of their tricks and moves, their weaknesses and strengths. Without him, N.E.S.T. would be gone.

"What do you mean 'yet?'" Cameron asked, stopping to look up at him. "It's the plan, isn't it?"

"Yes," Megatron hissed. "It is all part of the plan."

"Aren't you going to tell me the plan?" Cameron countered. "I deserve to know, because, you know what? I'm not some damn mission drone, Megatron. Why can't I just know? If I _did_ know, then maybe I can help y'all better, because I know what's supposed to be _accomplished."_

Megatron narrowed his optics down at her, growling slightly from the back of his throat. He didn't want her to know of the plan-at least, not the entire plan. But why not? Why not see the reaction it gets out of her? He could test her faith to the Decepticons, see if she would really go forth with the plan. It would be the ultimate test. So, he explained the plan to her in full detail, mentioning parts of the war in Cybertron and how he made a deal with the Autobot leader, to the part where Sentinel turns on his fellow Autobots to activate the Space Bridge.

"What's the Space Bridge?" Cameron asked. "The teleporting thing?"

"Yes," Megatron hissed. "If combined, the pillars will form a Space Bridge. It can transport anything in the universe. Sentinel designed it."

Cameron snorted. How ironic. "And you're transporting troops and stuff?"

"Not only troops. Also Cybertron."

Cameron's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "You're transporting…a planet? How?"

"It will stay in Earth's atmosphere, where the slaves of Earth will help rebuild it."

Pause. "You're going to enslave humankind?" Cameron asked softly, not believing what she was hearing. Megatron nodded as if it were as simple as cake. She continued. "And the humans are gonna rebuild Cybertron for you." It wasn't a question. Rather, a statement.

"Is there a problem, my host?" Megatron asked innocently. If he had eyelashes he would bat them.

Cameron looked down, muttering, "No, no problem…how long would it take? To rebuild Cybertron, I mean."

"Many years, obviously."

"You plan on keeping humans alive that long? They need food, water, rest, a good temperature, _air, _and apparently sunlight. How are you gonna provide that, _on another planet? _Made of metal stuff, no doubt."

"I already have that planned!" Megatron yelled in agitation, slamming the ground next to her, causing her to yelp and fall on her butt. "Everything is under control! Cybertron _will_ be rebuilt!"

Cameron slid back a little on her butt, afraid of angering him further and being killed, but she _had_ to ask this. She had to know the answers to her future. It was too tempting. So, she asked, "And after? After they rebuild Cybertron."

"We slaughter the vermin, obviously," countered Megatron, calming himself down a little.

"You know, I thought the plan all along was to just slaughter them. Not enslave them, and _then_ slaughter them. What about uprisings?" Cameron was bringing up valid questions for someone in her position, but Megatron chose not to answer them. They were all pretty self-explanatory-did the Decepticons really look like a race of forgiving? If there is an uprising, they will kill them. "And after?" Cameron asked.

That did it. "After what?" Megatron yelled, annoyed at all of the questions. Only _he _could ask the questions.

Cameron stood back up on her feet, noticing Starscream was still there, staring at them, watching their conversation with interest. Ignoring him, she turned back to Megatron, who was glaring at her. "After the enslavement, after the slaughter, after Cybertron is rebuilt. What happens? Do you leave Earth alone, er…what?"

Megatron sat back. Huh. He had never really thought of the 'after.' There wouldn't be anything left on Earth they could do, nothing left to take. Blowing up or destroying the planet would take too much resources. So why not just leave Earth alone after it all? It wouldn't' harm anyone. None of the other creatures on Earth were capable of developing such a brain like the humans, none of them could get as smart as the stupid humans. Even if they did, the Decepticons could just go back to Earth and destroy them all. It would be quite entertaining. But, then again, they could use Earth to develop the hatchlings and keep some Decepticons. Cybertron may be big, but it wasn't big enough for the giant army Megatron was planning. Earth could be the planet to hold some troops, maybe even some equipment. They could use Earth for so many good things. It's hard to let go of good things just because a certain deed is done.

Megatron looked back down at the human by his feet, the one who absorbed the AllSpark. She, of course, would have to be kept alive. At least until someone could figure out how to get the AllSpark out of her and into himself, where it truly belonged. Megatron would even settle for the AllSpark to live back inside the Cube-he really didn't care. Just out of the pathetic creature. Of course, he could always keep her as a personal pet, if everything succeeded the way her liked. It would be a true honor to live as Lord Megatron's pet. If she lived to serve him and do her part in the defeat of the Autobots…why not?

"Maybe," he simply said, finally answering her question.

Cameron nodded, looking down. She accepted the fact that Earth may not survive under the rule of the Decepticons. She realized that they may slaughter the other creatures as well, along with the plants. But then again, if humans continued to survive and flourish, Earth and its creatures wouldn't survive, either. In all their greed, they would keep on wanting new things, polluting the environment at the same time. The sick ones would torture all of the other animals to death and wear their skin, their fur. They would pollute Earth so bad it wouldn't become sustainable for life anymore, forcing the humans to go to another planet and repeat the process.

Cameron figured that, under all of the circumstances, she would rather have Earth under the rule of the Decepticons. Maybe they'd have mercy, because the humans won't.

Finally, Cameron let out a deep breath and looked at Megatron in his eyes. "Sounds like a great plan to me."

Optimus couldn't believe his eyes as he looked around the base. Some humans were carrying off dead human bodies. Some were aiding damaged humans. A group of humans were even in the corner of the base, too bummed and tired and sad to do anything at the moment. The whole base was completely destroyed, the ceiling falling in here, the wall gone over there. And all this from the work of one person, one Cybertronian. A person that used to be his dearest friend, his mentor. That person who had taught him everything he had ever known. That one person who made his life-any many others-crash down around him in a matter of a few minutes.

"Yeah, take a good look, Optimus!" the human Director of National Intelligence yelled at him from her post. "This is all on you!"

And it was. If it weren't for him, if he hadn't told the humans who to trust, none of this would've happened. But now, Sentinel had stolen the pillars. It would've been okay, since they were his and all, but it wasn't. Sentinel was going to use his creation for the destruction of the human race and the planet Earth. The same one who told him that freedom was everyone's right. If you told Optimus about Sentinel's betrayal, he wouldn't have believed it. But now, looking around the pile of rubble and dead bodies that used to be the base, he was introduced back into a world of lying and deceiving. A world he hoped Sentinel would make him never see again.

He had to go after him.

He had to make him pay for his crimes.

But mostly, he just hoped to fix him of his horrible ways, to try to make him remember the good times, to try to tell him of all the good things that humans could do, of what Earth could really be. He just wanted his old mentor back.

Optimus bounded out of the base.

Starscream watched Megatron and Cameron's conversation with interest, trying not to make any noise in fear of getting spotted by Megatron, who would no doubt yell at him and tell him to leave. He found their conversations interesting, seeing a new side of both of them every time. Megatron would always yell, injure, or kill anyone who tried to speak out of place. No one could ever have an actual conversation with him. No one would ever talk to him in fear of getting killed brutally. But this? Megatron was allowing this human to speak out of place and ask him questions. He was allowing it to keep on living. What made this human so special?

What made this human so special was the fact that she was the host of the AllSpark, the most important thing in the universe. That was the only thing keeping the Decepticons to gut her and hang them. But maybe, just maybe, the other thing keeping this human alive was her fire. It was the AllSpark, no doubt, giving her this fire inside of her. It flared high and mighty when mad, yet can be calm and peaceful when not. But fire was always dangerous and unpredictable. Fire can be insane at times. Cameron was that fire. Or was it the AllSpark?

Starscream couldn't decide. The AllSpark was inside of her, making her powerful and knowledgeable. She was asking fair and intelligent questions, for someone in her position. Starscream figured he would ask them, too.

When Megatron got mad, he would always slam his fist down on the ground next to her to intimidate her, trying to get her to believe that if she ever went out of line, he would hit her. But Starscream didn't believe that. Megatron would never hit the being that contained the AllSpark in fear of damaging it. Although the AllSpark could never die, any and every Decepticon would always baby it, as if it were a Sparkling. No, even more important than a Sparkling.

Starscream was so deep in his thoughts that he was startled to find the human staring at him. Cameron stared at him with curiosity in her eyes, eyeing him up and down, then turned back to Megatron and began talking again. What were they even talking about now? Starscream lost track, not paying attention, so deep in his own thoughts. He decided to tune in, only for Cameron to ask what would happen after the plan would succeed, if they would spare Earth and its creatures, causing Megatron to lose himself in thought. After a while, he said, "Maybe," making Cameron think to herself, only to agree with Megatron and accept the fact that there may be a chance, if the plan succeeds, that Earth would not survive.

Starscream was quite shocked. Not only did this creature kill many of her own kind brutally already, but she just agreed and accepted the fact that in helping the Decepticons, her planet would be destroyed. To her, it would be okay if her planet was destroyed. She just wanted her own race diminished, and then she didn't care for what would happen to the planet after. _All she wanted was for her race to be extinguished. _This creature had gone completely insane in his own opinion-but then again, he didn't really care about the humans. The creature would help them destroy a whole race of seven billion, and possibly even a planet.

After they finished talking, Cameron turned back and looked at Starscream, her eyebrows raised in suspicion. She had that goofy, stupid look in her eyes, signaling she was about to do the same.

And, just as Starscream was about to turn to fly off, she screamed, "YOU BE CREEPIN!'"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey guys again! Hahah! Hope you liked the chapter! Here's a Christmas present from me to you. And I'm saying this now because there is no way I could get another chapter up by tomorrow. But, heh, better soon than never, right? Eh? EH?<strong>

**Sorry. Too much sugar. Rockubyebaby knows what I'm talking about! Hell yeah! *clinks glasses***

**Things are about to lead into DOTM, as you can see. I had to move this thing along, because, well, how boring is something that is supposed to take place about two weeks before something and is 17 chapters in and hasn't even gotten there yet? Sorry for boring you! =(  
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**Well, I better be on my way to writing a new chapter! Hope you liked your virtual Christmas present again! Now give me a present and review please! ^o^**

**Okay alright bi ;)  
><strong>


	18. Chicago

Chapter 18

"Cameron, my little host, are you ready?"

Cameron nodded, transforming to 'robot' mode. She hopped up and down on her heels. "I'm ready."

"And you will destroy the Autobots and stand by my side, yes?"

"I just want off this damn thing."

Megatron laughed as the large plane descended onto the streets of Washington D.C. They stepped off of the plane, Starscream landing besides them. Megatron walked over to the Lincoln Memorial, walking past Sentinel Prime casually, and began up the steps. Starscream, Cameron, and Igor walked up the steps behind him.

"Oh, my master, such a brilliant scheme!" Starscream admired. "So when Sentinel left Cybertron, it was to defect!"

Megatron and Starscream squeezed through the spaces of the stone pillars, Cameron and Igor casually trailing behind. "He was meant to rendezvous with me here on Earth, before fate waylaid us both," Megatron explained. "The only way to revive him: we needed Prime and his Matrix." Megatron growled, turning his body as he shot the Lincoln Memorial statue, Lincoln crumbling in on himself. Cameron looked up, unfazed.

"Excellent strategy!" complemented Starscream. Cameron scoffed at him, disgusted in the way he was sucking up to his master. Megatron pushed away some of the rubble off of Lincoln's old throne and sat on it himself. Cameron walked around Igor, who was chomping on Lincoln's head, mumbling, "Mine! Mine!" She walked over the rubble and stood obediently by Megatron's feet, observing the conversation between Starscream and Megatron and watching Sentinel prepare the pillars. "So, he is now your partner," Starscream continued.

"He is my greatest triumph," Megatron announced, sitting back in his throne.

Starscream bent down and watched Sentinel along with the rest of them, balancing himself on his left arm. "So impressive!" he boasted.

Cameron sighed, shaking her head. A coward _and _a kiss up. How was he the Second In Command? Damn.

All of a sudden, Optimus bounded into view, outstretching his head to his old mentor. "No! No no, Sentinel!" he cried desperately.

"Forgive me," Sentinel simply responded, activating the pillars.

The pillars were illuminated with light blue light, little blue portals of the same illumination popped up all around. After a few seconds, Cybertronians bounded through them, blasting everything around them. Humans ran screaming before being disintegrated by the blasts of the troops. As more troops bounded through the portals, they blasted cars and began taking the form of some, driving off into the city. Cameron merely chuckled at the attempts of the getaways of the humans and how they screamed before being reduced to ashes. They tried so effortlessly to get away, as if they even stood a chance.

"Here we are," Megatron sneered. "Fight us now."

Cameron watched as the desperate and enraged Optimus chased down Sentinel Prime, then disappeared from view. What did Optimus think? That he was going to kill Sentinel Prime? That he actually could? Sentinel Prime taught him all he knew. It just didn't add up.

Starscream left the little temple and transformed, taking off into the skies, probably commanding the troops from above. Megatron, Cameron, and Igor stayed there, overlooking the destruction, before Cameron turned to Megatron. "How many troops?"

"Hundreds," Megatron responded, not looking at her.

"Huh," Cameron said simply, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Where are we all meeting up, or are we staying here?"

"We will rendezvous in the city you call Chicago, where we will commence the transport of Cybertron." Sentinel came back into view, as expected by them both, and walked over to the pillars. Megatron's metal groaned against the stone as he stood back up. "And it is time to leave." Sentinel deactivated and gathered up the pillars, transforming and heading out on the roads. Cameron and Igor followed Megatron to the road where he transformed and they got inside. Megatron followed Sentinel on the roads to Chicago as Cameron looked out his windows, overlaying the chaos.

* * *

><p>Hours later, Cameron awoke to Igor prodding her metallic shoulder, shouting, "We're here, AllSpark! Chicago! Sentinel!"<p>

Cameron groaned, opening his eyes and looking at Igor. What the hell was this thing, anyway? And what purpose did it serve? Megatron's only _good _accomplice, in Cameron's opinion, was Sentinel. He just aligned himself with freaks and weirdoes in the time being.

She looked out the windows, gazing at the tall buildings and people walking about until it finally landed on Sentinel in front of them, the pillars on top of him. Cameron sure hoped these two knew what they were doing, with the enslavement of humankind. But she was just here to roll along with the punches.

Sentinel pulled up to a large, domed building and transformed, catching the pillars in his hands. Megatron pulled up right beside him and opened the door, letting Cameron and Igor out before he transformed and followed Sentinel on foot. At least he was nice enough to actually let them out before he transformed, Cameron thought, unlike Screamer. Speaking of him, where was he?

"Megatron!" Cameron shouted. "Where's Starscream? I thought he was meeting us here."

Megatron grinned. "He had some business to do, first."

Cameron opened her mouth to ask what business it was exactly, but closed it, deciding not to annoy Megatron even further. So she turned to Igor by her feet and whispered, "Igor, where's Starscream?"

Igor turned to her, spitting or drooling or whatever the heck he was doing, and answered, "He exterminated the rebels! Yes, yes he did!"

"Shh!" Cameron ordered, a violent whisper, then she thought about what he said. Rebels, meaning…the Autobots? Starscream couldn't have done that alone, no way. With the troops, perhaps? "How did he do it?" she asked, still reframing to a whisper. Megatron and Sentinel were still talking right next to them.

Igor's saliva or whatever slipped from his mouth and plopped on the ground, but he didn't seem to mind. "Sentinel told the nest to denounce rebels, and they flew from rocket ship, and Starscream destroyed rocket ship with rebels inside in the air. Rocket ship blew!" Then he laughed at some joke he seemed to crack, running to be by his master's feet, running around them. How the hell does Megatron stand him? But now Cameron understood what Starscream had done, but that's not what surprised her the most.

What surprised her the most was the fact that the rebels, a.k.a. the Autobots, were 'denounced.' Cameron didn't know what that meant, but she could kind of figure that denounce meant to exile or isolate. So, N.E.S.T. exiled the Autobots, their only saviors in this time of crisis? Were they really that stupid? How could they even do something like that? Not that Cameron minded, it's just that she was…irked at how they treated the beings that have saved their planet twice with a simple flick of their fingers, sending them off to another planet, anywhere-just not here. The Autobots must have been pissed-Sam. Oh, God, Sam. He must have been devastated to watch his heroes, the beings that changed his life-Bee-to just walk away like that. And then to be blown up right in front of his eyes? Knowing him, he must have cried.

Just then, Cameron called herself an idiot. She was too busy worrying about how the dumb Autobots were treated and simply skipped over the fact that she's just been told they have been extinguished _twice. _Her heart dropped like a bomb at that fact. Why did this affect her? Cameron never liked them. They were going to fight back, they were going to destroy their plan-_if _they could. But they would still try. They never gave up. And now they were dead. Cameron still couldn't help but be sad at that fact, even when she kept telling herself this was good. Her heart just simply did not listen. The Autobots were gone. Now no one could stop them. That was a good thing. So why did it feel like a bad thing?

_It's the end of the world, _Cameron thought. _I'll get over it._

* * *

><p>Sam couldn't believe his eyes. He didn't want to.<p>

The ships remains dropped down into the Atlantic, a fiery mass that created steam once it hit the water. Smoke clouds filled the space that once held his dearest friends, his heroes, the only ones who could save the planet of which he thrived. His heart dropped to his knees watching the wreck, his hand frozen, still holding onto his phone, but he no longer listened. Tears fell over the ridge of his eyes and down his cheek as he refused to blink.

His friends were dead. Bumblebee was dead. The Decepticons did this. Sam would scream in anger but he was too busy crying in sadness and desperation.

The watch bot gave him one final pinch on his nervous system before transforming and dropping off of his arm. He grunted, hugging his hurt arm to his chest and stomping on it as it tried to hide under his bag. The sound of combustion still rang in his ears as he refused to look back up at the destruction and jumped off where he was seated and began running. He tried to think as he ran, but the only thoughts that came to his mind were Bumblebee and the Autobots and their deaths he just witnessed. He couldn't seem to get it out of his head no matter how much he desperately tried, but it seemed like everything he touched was stolen from him nowadays. Carly, his love, his sister, and now the Autobots. Couldn't he just keep one thing in this life that he loved? Was that too hard to ask?

* * *

><p>Cameron perched herself on the concrete wall, watching the city below her, wondering of all the chaos soon to come. She tried to buy time, thinking about what this city would look like after the takeover. With all her knowledge she could muster of zombie apocalypse movies, the buildings would be crumbled and broken, and the air would hardly be breathable. Sounded fit to the Decepticons, she thought.<p>

She kicked her feet, utterly bored yet again. No wonder most of these Decepticons were insane. There was nothing to do, dammit! Their plans always took for-freaking-ever. Or was it just her?

The sound of the door opening behind her made her turn. Cameron's eyes widened and she silently gasped at the sight of Dylan dragging Carly through, muttering to her. Carly's eyes were on the ground as he brought her over to a corner and whispered into her ear. She looked up, surveying her surroundings, until her eyes landed on Sentinel. Even from Cameron's position on the wall, she could hear Carly yell, "What's _Sentinel _doing here?" with her high British accent.

Really? She didn't even know the plan, and she was currently being held by the highest human operative? Geesh. That's sad. She tried to listen in to what Dylan was telling her, but even with her now slightly advanced hearing, she couldn't hear him, so she gave up. It's not like it was important to her, anyways. Another thing Megatron told her-don't bend yourself backwards trying to figure something out that doesn't even involve you. Damn, he was good.

Carly looked all around her wildly until her vision landed on Cameron and she gasped. "What's _that?" _she asked, staring at her in fear. Dylan smiled, looking at Cameron as well. She was still in her 'robot' mode, deciding not the transform because she needed to get used to it. Why would she still need to be in her human form after the takeover?

"Why, you've already met her," Dylan said loud enough for Cameron to hear. She smiled, taking that as her queue and swinging her legs over the side and walking over to them. Carly backed up a step but Dylan kept her from running away with a firm grip on her shoulders.

Once Cameron stood only a foot away, she smiled, waving her hand. "Hiya!" she shrieked, laughing. "Do you remember my voice?" Carly shook her head no, terrified. Well, Cameron couldn't say she was really expecting a _yes, _so she continued. "Do you at least remember a few nights ago, when you sent me to go get your bag from inside your car, a.k.a. Soundwave?"

Carly gasped and yelled, "You _can't _be!"

Cameron laughed. "I know right! _I _can still barely believe it myself. But then again, here I am." Cameron transformed back to her 'human' form, still smiling. It took a little while for Carly to see, with Cameron's new appearance and all, but Carly never forgets a face. She looked like she wanted to scream in shock while Dylan chuckled beside her. "Ya see?" Cameron asked, twirling around in a circle. "It's a long and complicated story, Carly, much too long for right now. Maybe later?"

"You're working for the Decepticons," Carly stated, growing more angry than terrified. "How could you do this? To your own planet? To all your friends?"

"Well, it's not that hard, actually," Cameron explained. "And I'm not working for them-I'm working _with _them. I'm helping them achieve their goal. In time, you'll see."

"Begone, insect operatives!" Megatron commanded with a flick of his claw. "Your work is done."

Dylan made a little bow, saying, "Your excellency," before tugging Carly away by her arm, mumbling, "He's such a dick."

Cameron laughed, returning to her perch on the concrete wall, knowing rather than hoping that Megatron wasn't talking to her. She wasn't an operative; she was an accomplice. She was one of them. And as she watched Sentinel operated the pillars, kicking her feet, she found her boredom cured.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Okay, a little bit shorter than normal, but it's still 6 pages in Microsoft Word on font 11! Yeah, happy me.<strong>

**Merry Christmas again, guys! It turns out, this Christmas brought up my imagination even more. Well, actually, it's because I got DOTM on DVD! I've already watched it again, like, 3 times! Hehe. I FREAKING LOVE IT. OH MY GOOOOOOOOSH.**

**Oh, and in other news: when I fix the chapters (grammar, adding the line thing, adding the italics again, etc.) and I save it TWICE, it still won't register. So, sorry, the chapters may look a little weird because it's missing the line thing and stuff. Gosh, why can't FF be easy? -_-**

**Bad news: I'm watching Ironhide's death over again as well, and I HATE IT! GARRRRAWRRR! And then almost BB? *sniff* Damn...**

**AND, and this is a big AND, I took some of the lines from the movie and put them in here. If you've seen the movie, you'll probably know what I'm talking about. I'm going to be taking some lines from the movie to try and make it not so AU, because I don't really like AU. You're only seeing some AU in here because I added the OC, so, yeah... I don't own anything but Cameron and her dialogue and most of the others' dialogue! But not all. Remember that. PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!  
><strong>

**But, I hope you liked ze chaptah! Please review and for all who did, thank you! I've looked at other stories and saw that some don't even have up to 1o reviews, and since this is my first story on here and all, I am VERY grateful! Thank you for you Christmas presents! ^o^ This is a great accomplishment for me! **

**Okay alright bi ;)  
><strong>


	19. Waiting for the Apocalypse

Chapter 19

"It's time for the slaves of Earth to recognize their true masters…seal off the city."

Explosions and terrified human screams were all she heard. Buildings collapsed and exploded into dust. Troops of all sizes bounded in everywhere, shooting the humans with their plasma guns, reducing them to dust and bones. Their last screams echoed off into the night as humanity's last chance of survival withered away as well.

Cameron stood at the edge of the building, overlooking the annihilation, smiling at all of the ruin and devastation. Hours drifted away quickly, but Cameron was too hypnotized by the abolition to take notice. She loved it-the humans were finally getting what they downright deserved.

She paced the edge of the building, now in her human form, looking from the destruction to the pillars, and back to the destruction. Hours went by but she was too busy to eat, drink, or even sleep. There was so much going on in her mind, let alone _the world. _She felt like she could never sleep again.

Cameron sighed, smiling slightly, deep in her thoughts, when a voice made her jump. "So _this," _it began, pausing, "is the host you've been telling me about." Cameron turned around to find Sentinel Prime staring down at her, his optics narrowed. She suddenly became uncomfortable-she didn't want to disappoint Megatron or embarrass herself by what she was about to say or do. Her back hunched slightly as she continued to stare right at him, trying not to look away so he could get a good look at her.

Megatron appeared next to Sentinel. "Yes, this is it," he confirmed, smirking at her. "But apparently, that's all there is." He chuckled at his own joke but Sentinel didn't join in. Cameron narrowed her eyes at Megatron for the insult but didn't blame him for it-in his eyes, a flick of his finger can kill her, like an ant to Cameron. So she didn't blame him for his thoughts, but did he really have to voice them around her?

She looked down in shame and transformed back to her robot form and flicked her claws against each other, making a sharp, clinging sound as metal scraped against metal painlessly. She stayed like that for a little, getting into the feel of being metal again before she looked up. Megatron had turned away already, looking back down at his troops, but Sentinel continued to stare at her. His eyes were narrowed still, soaking her up, before the corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile.

"Got some fire in her," he whispered, but to himself or Megatron was unknown. Then he turned away from her, hands clasped behind his back, going to check on the pillars. Cameron let out a sigh of relief. What did this mean? Did he like her? God, did she want to impress Megatron! She hoped Sentinel approved of her.

The moonlight glistened off of her metal, the night sky making her silver color seem almost black. She lightly stroked her arm, careful not to leave any scratches, getting the feel of it. She wondered about what Megatron had said to her, that the AllSpark had chosen _her _to make its new host. What she never really did was to sit back and wonder _why. Why _did the AllSpark choose _her, _an awkward, pathetic human, to go into, to make its new host? Why would such a powerful thing actually _choose _to go into a weak, defenseless, stupid, pathetic human? Was there an actual reason, or was it by accident? Maybe it wanted to go into something else but got sucked into her body, for some reason. Or, maybe it was flying by her and got sucked into her? It didn't seem possible for it to actually choose Cameron. But, it didn't seem possible that it could've been sucked in by some imaginary force, or that something could overpower it. Maybe it _was _a choice. Maybe it really _did _choose Cameron. But why? What made Cameron so special? She wasn't even Cybertronian. Did it see something in her? If so, what? Was it fair that Cameron would never know? Was if fair that she didn't have a say in what her body was to be, human or robotic or both? It kind of just…happened. But everything happens for a reason. So, what was the AllSpark's reason? Clenching her fists, Cameron decided that she could never know the AllSpark's intentions. She'd never know why it chose her, or even how. She took her new claws and scratched the exterior of her right forearm in frustration, but saw the metal smoothen a little after a while. It made Cameron want to scream. But, she cleared her mind, deciding not to devil into this to try and keep her sanity.

And it was the only thing she could do.

* * *

><p>Carly felt so hopeless, so weak, so useless.<p>

She couldn't do anything to stop the takeover. She couldn't save humanity.

She couldn't even see her boyfriend one last time.

He was probably killed already, she thought miserably. She tried to stay away from thoughts like that, but they were always around the corner. How could she escape reality? They were all doomed to die. So what did fighting back matter now, anyway?

It's not like they _could _fight back. The Autobots were dead. Any aircraft that came within a mile of the city was blown to bits in two seconds. Carly would know; she's watched them blow up, crossing her fingers each time, praying the God that they would at least make it to the city. But each time she heard the familiar metallic noise of the ships detaching from the buildings and another explosion, she silently wept. It was quite pathetic of her, given she was safe, or at least temporarily safe from harm when she was with Dylan.

Dylan. She hated him and his sleazy attitude. She hated that she was tricked by him and now held hostage. But the thing that she hated most of all was that she was safe with him. She didn't want to be with him. She'd rather have him dead. But that's not the thing that made her blood boil. It was that she was safe. Why was _she _safe, while all the other people in the world were either being disintegrated or turned into slaves? Carly would rather be turned into a slave with them and be treated as an equal human than be safe with some asshole she didn't even like.

Carly dug her fingers through her hair in frustration, tears threatening to spill over. She didn't want to cry in front of Dylan. Who knows what he'll even do? She wanted to come off as a strong person, not a weak crybaby. No one likes crybabies. A lump formed at the back of her throat and she dug her nails even further into her scalp to keep from crying. She sat there, with her elbows on her knees and her fingers through her hair, thinking. She wished Sam were here to comfort her, so she could cry on his shoulder and he'd rub her back like he always did.

Thinking of Sam brought a small sob past her lips. God, she hoped he was alright. If he had to die, she just wanted to see him on more time, to kiss him on the lips one more time. She didn't want him to leave her all alone with some creep and the Decepticons. It's not like he had much control over the matter as it was anyway, but Carly felt like Sam alone could move mountains. Just think of the achievement he's accomplished already.

No, Carly won't think of him. It will only break her even more. Let her think of something else, something that'll wipe the tears from her eyes and strengthen her.

_Cameron. _That was the first thing that came to Carly's mind. _Cameron. _How could she? How _dare _she betray everyone and join the Decepticons? What was her will, what made her join? To destroy everything she's ever loved in a sick attempt to bring herself peace at mind?

Cameron's changed so much since Carly last saw her. Before, to Carly, Cameron seemed like a nice, strong little girl from all of Sam's stories about her. And once she met her, she knew they were true. Cameron seemed like a girl with a lot of fight in her, a lot of willpower. She seemed like she was headed in the right direction, as if, one day, all this energy would lead her to do great things in the world.

But now? Now, she was a killer. She had betrayed the world and gone against everything she knew. Cameron had joined the Decepticons and was helping them destroy our world. How could anyone in the right mind do such a thing?

Was it Carly's fault that she had let her get her purse that night? No, it couldn't be. Just because it led her to being captured by the Decepticons, Carly didn't have anything to do with the defection. It was all Cameron. Cameron, alone, decided to align with the Decepticons instead of continuing with the peaceful, graceful Autobots. All the Autobots wanted was to save humankind and planet Earth, and Cameron went against that. As a human, it was outrageous.

But Cameron wasn't a human anymore. Cameron was…part robot? That thing on the roof…it walked over to her and talked as if she were Cameron. But she _was. _Somehow, miraculously, Cameron was now part robotic, part human. It was a strange concept that Carly couldn't get over, couldn't figure out.

After Cameron transformed back to her true self, then Carly truly knew that this wasn't a dream, some sick nightmare. It was reality.

But her _face. _Carly could never forget that once sweet, innocent face, now turned psychotic. Cameron's face was a mosaic to Carly, conjured up of hurt, death, and confusion. Her eyes sparkled with innocence still, for she was just still a little girl. Cameron wanted to go for psycho, a 'don't mess with this girl look,' but all Carly saw-with Cameron's new changes-was just a sad, lost little girl who can't find her way home anymore. That Cameron's new look led her to believe that she has become invincible, that now nothing can stop her from doing what she wants. But also that she doesn't know what she wants. This new…power, this new look, of hers made her feel on top of the world, so she aligned with the side that was aiming for world domination. And after the plan took fold, it was hard to deny and look the other way, to surpass that great opportunity that she could rule the world as well.

And that was what made Carly forgive Cameron. Only Carly could see how lost Cameron was. Cameron didn't really want to force the apocalypse on humankind. It's just that she was tricked to believe she had more power than she could muster, and that she's fallen into their trap. But if Carly had the opportunity to tell Cameron this, she wouldn't.

Life is a game that the player has to figure out alone.

* * *

><p>As night fell and the sun rose over the horizon, Cameron felt more confidence in herself. That the decisions she were making felt even more right, and that the path to her future seemed even clearer. Certitude bloomed inside of her, causing to her to sit up even straighter, to lift her head even higher, as each second passed.<p>

Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours. The tip of the sun rose over the highest buildings in Chicago. Cameron paced the edge of the building again. It calmed her. She had time to think. It made time pass quickly. Doing nothing for long periods of time made her fidgety, like she just had to do _something _or she'll go insane. Pacing helped.

"The city is secured," Megatron suddenly exclaimed. Cameron began walking closer to him as he talked to Sentinel, eager to listen in. "The humans cannot stop us!" Cameron smiled at the thought, thinking about all of the frustrated people in the Pentagon or whatever wondering how they could even get _eyes _into the city.

"As the afternoon falls, the rest of the pillars will reach their launch position," explained Sentinel, turning away from Megatron only to look out unto the city, thinking.

"This is the victory I promised you all those years ago, where we rebuild Cybertron…together," Megatron hissed, flicking his claws together for emphasis.

Sentinel turned back to him as Cameron positioned herself on top of a little wall, watching their conversation with interest. "I have deigned to work with you," he began, grabbing Megatron and shoving his head onto the nearest wall of concrete. Megatron yelled in surprise as Sentinel continued to drive his fingers further into the damaged part of Megatron's face. "But I will never work _for _you," Sentinel continued, scratching out some of Megatron's metal as he let him go. Megatron yelled again and growled, mostly in disbelief and anger. "And you will be _wise _to remember the difference."

Knowing Megatron would hate to be seen weak by his troops, Cameron quickly but silently hopped off of the wall and continued to pace the edge of the building, her heart beating fast with the thought of being spotted.

After a few moments, she calmed herself down enough to think about what happened. Did Sentinel just tell Megatron that know Megatron works for him? Is Megatron accepting this? Well, it's not like he has a choice. But Sentinel didn't have to hurt Megatron like that. Cameron clenched her fists, deciding then and there that she had lost all respect she once had for Sentinel but still wanting to impress him, for Megatron, so that Sentinel wouldn't see that he is all bad.

Cameron suddenly stopped pacing the edge of the building. Did you ever get that feeling that someone is watching you? That feeling that is as if you can _feel _them, in their position, watching you? That's what Cameron felt right now. Her head snapped up, looking in the direction she felt it was coming from. Focusing on her vision, she slightly zoomed her optics in, silently thanking the AllSpark for this lovely new sight. She focused in on the building across from where Megatron was standing and gasped when she saw the culprit.

It was Carly, looking through a telescope at them all. Carly opened both eyes and took a step back as she saw Cameron staring at her. They stayed like that for a while, just staring at each other. Many things were shared in those moments; the feeling of loss, of hopelessness, of desire and wanting. They may not be on the same side of the war, and Cameron may not be completely human anymore, but a very _human _moment was shared just then and there. They may not think the same, but the same thing was going on in their heads at the moment; _'I'm sorry.' _The same look passed over both of their faces as they stared into each other's souls. The feeling of compassion and sympathy went through them both.

Cameron realized this. She clenched her fists in anger at how weak she just became over a simple _look _from Carly, of how gullible she just became. She smiled evilly at Carly, teeth and all, making Carly swallow and retreat to another room in defeat. Cameron went back to pacing the edge of the building, making a silent pact to herself to never do anything like that again. Being gullible and weak just wasn't her think anymore. She _is _the _AllSpark. _Now it's time to start acting like the intelligent being that she should.

* * *

><p>What was that? What <em>was <em>that?

Carly sat back in the chair, her foot moving up and down in concentration. Did she and Cameron just have a moment there? Well, until she ruined it.

Carly knew it. She _knew _it. Cameron wasn't all bad. She could see the confusion of a little girl in her eyes. As Carly stared into her eyes, it was like she saw her bitter soul. A soul that was confused, that wanted to burst out crying, that _could_ at any moment. A soul that would scream to the high heavens in frustration the second she let her guard down. A soul that had built up a wall so high she couldn't get out, and nothing could get in.

And when Cameron smiled, it wasn't to scare off Carly. It might have been her intention, but it wasn't what appeared to Carly. Carly didn't leave the room and Cameron alone because of fear, she left because she was milliseconds away from bursting out in tears. Cameron reminded Carly _so much _of her when she was younger. When her older brother had told her he was leaving to join the military, he was only 19 and she was only 10. She cried and begged him not to go, but he had to leave. And so, he left. She ran up to her room and cried for hours. Inside, she was broken. What if he never came back? Or what if he came back dead?

But life continued on as it would. She continued to go to school, only paying attention in class to please her brother if he ever came back. Her brother wouldn't want to see her doing bad in school all because of a decision he had made. No, Carly had to be strong for him. She had to be strong for everyone. She woke up every day hoping to see him by her doorstep, but he wasn't. She went to sleep every night hoping that her brother wasn't dead, that he had had some food and water for the day and that he, too, was sleeping in a nice, comfy bed like she was. Carly was strong for everyone around her, but inside she was crumbling piece by piece, moment by moment.

And that is what she saw in Cameron. And that is what made her currently, silently weep on the chair, hugging herself, trying to keep her emotions inside but failing. Her heart crumbled as she desperately tried to piece it back together but failing to do so. Carly just hoped no one was around to see her broken.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: OMG THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING! I LOVE to see my email filled with 'Review Alert,' 'Favorite Story Alert,' 'Story Alert,' and the most recent 'Favorite Author Alert.' OMG THANK YOU ALL! IT MAKES ME SOO HAPPY. =D<br>**

**Anyway, onto the story part of the note. This chapter is mostly Carly/Cameron centered with a little Cameron/Sentinel and Cameron/Megatron thrown in there (not the slash way ew haha). Again, I took some lines and stuff from the movie to keep it very little AU as possible.**

**I hoped you liked the new chapter! And the only reason why I'm updating to fast is because I have time to. I may not be able to upload as fast as I am when school starts again, but thank God for the winter recess!**

**Yep, you guessed it. It's that big sock of candy I got again. *sigh* It's almost all gone! *sob***

**I've been listening to Iridescent by Linkin Park and Monster by Paramore when writing this chapter. From the DOTM soundtrack? THEY ARE SOOO FRIGGIN' AWESOME CHECK IT OUT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY! ^o^ Their music videos are awesome, BUT I CANNOT STOP WATCHING THE IRIDESCENT BY LINKIN PARK'S VIDEO! *fangirl squeal* I LOVE BOTH TF AND LP SO IT FITS TOGETHER PERFECTLY! OMG OMG OMG!**

**Gah! Sugar. Damn. That stuff's like ecstasy, only better. Anyways, again, I hope you liked the chapter! Review please!**

**Okay alright bi ~  
><strong>


	20. Reunited

Chapter 20

It seemed to Cameron that nothing good ever came out of Dylan Gould's mouth.

"The Autobots!" he shouted up from his position on the ground. "They're alive! They're here!"

Infuriated, Megatron smashed his hand into the wall, yelling, "Decepticons, defend the pillars!"

Cameron ran up to him, also pissed off, and yelled, "How could the Autobots have survived? I thought Starscream took care of them!"

Megatron growled, looking down at Cameron but quickly adverting his eyes away, directing them towards the city as if he could see the Autobots from his position on the skyscraper.

Cameron groaned loudly, irritated at the fact that they Autobots have survived and that her master wasn't even answering her damn question. _"Fucking _Starscream!" she yelled, slamming her metal fist against the wall also and leaving a small dent. "He's such a _fucking _idiot! He can't do anything right! Why the _fuck _is he the Second in Command? Jesus…" She ran back over to the edge of the building and looked down as well, trying to see if she could see their location. Seeing nothing only got her more frustrated and she turned back to Megatron. "I'm gonna go see if I could see them." Without even so much as a nod from her master, she scoffed, running to the door and down the stairs.

What seemed like a million damn years and stairs later, she finally reached the bottom, panting, her hands on her knees. She never liked skyscrapers, and this was why. Once she regained her breath a few moments later, she ran out the door and down the streets, heading to where the bridges were.

A few minutes later, she made it to the bridges, only to find them _down _instead of _up. _But how? She watched them go up once the order had been given to keep the humans out of the city. But, now that they were down, the humans _and now the Autobots _could get into the city. The humans were supposed to be left blind, and now they had open access. They were getting stronger. The realization hit Cameron like a bomb as fear blossomed inside of her heart, boiling her blood. The plan seemed so flawless and everything was going well, until Starscream screwed up, as usual.

She sighed, putting her hands on her hips as she did a 360 degree circle like a dog. Her plan was to stand on top of the up bridges to look for the Autobots, but now that was ruined, she didn't know what to do. What if Megatron and Sentinel were watching? Well, this is just _great. _What she wouldn't give to fly right now…

Her hand moved to dig through her hair, but then she realized she was still in her robot form, and she just looked stupid. Mumbling to herself about how stupid Starscream was, she made her way to the nearest broken skyscraper and all of the way up to the top. It took her a few minutes, considering she just ran down a bunch of steps and across town, but she managed, mostly because of Megatron's intense training and the fact that she was slightly enhanced because of the AllSpark.

Once she was at the top, she paused, looking out at the city. A noise caught her attention and directed her to her left. She gasped. Right there, about a mile to her left, were the Autobots. All of them were there; Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Mirage, Wheeljack, Sideswipe, and three more that she's never met before. With them were a small group of humans, three that she recognized; Sam, Carly, and Epps. They were all gathered around a little device that appeared to be military, bearing the name 'Eagle' on its side. Sam, Epps, and Carly were talking into it as the Autobots stood watching.

Cameron moved to the edge of the broken building and leaned out as far as she could to get a closer look. Okay, so, what if she went up to them and started shooting at them? Or, even better, what if she transformed back to her human form and deceived them that way? Either way, it seemed like a good plan to Cameron.

In excitement, she leaned out even further over the edge. The building's edge, taking many blows to it from the Decepticons, crumbled out from under her. Her hands that have been holding her up on the solid building felt nothing but air as she screamed, falling down the 30 stories she's climbed up. She flailed her limbs, trying to grasp something, knowing that she couldn't die just yet, not when she was so close to killing the Autobots.

Her screaming hitched when her back felt a sudden, shearing pain, then started up even louder. All of a sudden she felt hot pain on her back as she was being lifted, going up instead of down. She stopped screaming as she glanced down at the ground, no longer seeing it grow larger but seeing it stay the same. Desperate for some kind of explanation she whipped her head around. The building next to her offered her a view of herself, as it was made entirely of glass. She focused her optics on herself, observing the two small, skinny wing-like structures that stuck high out of her back, and a slight orange-yellow illumination surrounding her waist, giving the probability that they were boosters, like on a jetpack.

Cameron was flying. She was _actually _flying. She's always dreamt of flying, and now finally one of her wishes was coming true. She almost screamed in giddy but remembered that the Autobots were near, and they would hear her.

She leaned slightly to the right, and flew to the right. She leaned slightly to the left, and flew left. Basics; learned. Now how to fly straight? She turned, facing her target-the Autobots-and leaned forward. She flew slightly forward until she was completely forward, now in the 'Superman' position. She was barely going anywhere in this position. Closing her eyes, she decided to focus on flying straight and fast. A few moments of heavy concentration later, she felt a gush of cold air slap against her face. Opening her eyes, she gasped. Her heavy concentration paid off as she found she was flying straight, and fast. She was a bit wobbly at first, but she quickly got the hang of it. Once she closed in on the group, she leaned slightly to the left, going behind a building, then quickly drew up. Her aim was to float in the air like she did earlier, but instead, she headed straight up for the skies. Gasping, she tucked her knees up to her chest and leaned down, now headed for the ground. She reached out her claw and dug slightly into the side of the building to try and slow the impact, but it came anyway. She landed feet first into the ground and did a face-plant, sucking the breath out of her. She groaned, recovering quickly as she was made of metal, and sat up, holding out her arms and surveying her body for damages. She had a few dents and scratched in her, but they almost completely cleared up in a few seconds by the power of the AllSpark, but were still evident. Her hands grasped her back, trying to feel the thrusters to see if they were still working, but didn't feel any fire. The fall must've made them stop.

Sighing, she got up, her metal groaning as she lifted herself onto her feet. Since she never had wings before-I mean, what human has wings?-it was hard for her to focus on transforming them, but eventually she did. Megatron's voice popped in her mind then, from the first day, telling her to 'focus, focus, focus.' Again, Megatron's wisdom happened to be right. Damn, that guy was good. No wonder he was the undefeatable (except for one time) Decepticon leader. It made sense now.

Cameron shook her head, feeling her short hair whip her face. Oh, yeah, how was she going to explain her new outfit and hairdo? And how was she going to get by Carly? She probably already opened her big damn mouth and told them all about her. _Goddamn. _Patting herself down anyway and feeling that there was all skin, she moved out from behind the building to confront the group, putting on her best sad, pouty face-the face that got her ice cream all of the time when she was younger.

Once she rounded the corner, she saw that they were preparing to move out, and that Optimus was telling them that they were going to scout a route ahead. She took that as her queue and ducked out of the alleyway she was in and walked over to them. Wait, where was Ironhide? Her heart pounded and she hoped she looked like a scared little girl held hostage for days by monsters, but she knew she wasn't _that _good an actress.

"Sam?" she asked innocently, clasping her hands out in front of her, playing her role.

The sound of his sister's voice got his attention. His head snapped up in her direction and his eyes widened. "Cameron?" he asked, still unsure of whether it was really her or just an illusion.

Yep. It was the hair. Goddammit. Cameron nodded anyway, avoiding the weird glances she got from some people and Autobots. "Yeah," she whispered. "S'me. Cameron."

They stood there for a while, staring at each other. Cameron snuck quick glances at Carly, trying to be inconspicuous, but the temptation to ask if she's told them her secret was very high. Cameron had to bite down on her bottom lip to not ask.

"You're okay?" Sam suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

Cameron shrugged her shoulders, then changed her mind and nodded her head. "Yep…" she answered, trailing off. For God's sake, when was he going to run over to her and thank God that she was still alive and well?

But that didn't happen. Instead, Optimus shifted his feet, announcing awkwardly, "We must go, now, if we are ever going to make it." Then he glanced down at Cameron and said, "I'm glad you're alright."

Cameron nodded again, awkwardly, trying to hold in the guffaw trying to burst out. 'I'm glad you're alright.' She was _more _than alright, and he had no clue.

The Autobots transformed into their alt modes and roared their engines. Epps and his team got into Mirage and Sideswipe, while Carly, Sam, and Cameron got into Bumblebee, who beeped in excitement to have Cameron back. She patted his hood, because somewhere inside her, she was glad to be back.

Once in-Sam in the driver's seat, Carly in the passenger's seat, and Cameron in the back-Sam turned around to Cameron and asked, "What happened with your hair?"

_Shit. _Carly turned around as well, glaring at Cameron, her eyes saying, "Tell him. I dare you." Cameron took it as Carly didn't tell them about her transformation-pardon the pun-and relief fluttered inside of her. She half smiled and answered, "They made me do it."

Sam furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "They made your cut your hair and dye it?" Then he eyed her up and down, fully taking her in. "And change your clothes?"

"Dylan did it," Cameron lied. "He had someone cut and dye my hair black and get me new clothes to, uh, I don't know. Blend in?" Her face flushed a little, knowing she stuttered, but Sam didn't seem to take notice. His face turned from one of confusion to anger in an instant. "Dylan Gould?" she went on, explaining. "Carly's boss, or previous boss? He took us both in." She turned to Carly, smiling wide. "I remember seeing you, Carly. Do you remember seeing me?"

Carly's eyes narrowed, staring daggers at her. "I don't know," she muttered, but that was a lie, as well. Everything was a lie nowadays. Everything.

Cameron sat back, looking out the window. Why didn't Carly tell? What was holding her back? Was she afraid of Cameron, afraid that Cameron would kill her if she told?

Would Cameron kill her if she told? She thought about that for a moment, really contemplating it, staring out the window. So far, she's deliberately killed 58 humans, and inadvertently, indirectly killed thousands. So what was one more human life? One that was very important to the one she loved, Sam? If Carly told the secret, then Cameron would probably be killed, wouldn't she? The Autobots would have all the reason to kill her, and one less threat to worry about. So it'd be done. Wouldn't it?

Bumblebee rounded a corner, staying in front. Cameron looked out the back window and saw all of the Autobots trailing behind in a single line like kids at lunchtime. She gripped the seat, thinking hard of a plan. Okay, so she rejoined them…now what?

All of a sudden, something came up out of the ground behind them all. This something reminded Cameron of a worm-a giant, mechanical, anything-eating worm. It tried to grab Optimus but ended up only knocking his trailer off to the side of the road. Optimus kept on speeding down the street anyway, ignoring it until they all transformed and stepped inside a large building, probably a church.

The Autobots scattered around, walking over to windows, looking outside desperately. What the hell was going on? Cameron walked over to Sam in need of an answer. He was hugging Carly to his chest, looking around wildly as well. Smiling inwardly, Cameron walked over and grabbed his arm, giving him her best terrified look. "Sammy, what's going on?" she asked, jerking him gently out of his grip of Carly. She, again, glared daggers, but didn't do a thing.

"I don't know," he whispered back to her. Well, that sucks.

Suddenly, she stopped, looking at him up and down. She felt tears form at the ridges of her eyes, tickling her. This was Sam. This was her older brother. The one that always protected her, especially in the Mission City and Egypt battles. He loved her as much as she loved him. She wanted her brother back, and there he was, standing in front of her at this very moment. She tucked him to her and hugged him hard, letting a tear flow down her cheek.

Sam stood there shocked, but then instantly wrapped his arms around her instinctively and squeezed her hard. He missed his little sister, too, staying up all night, just wondering if she was alive, if she was well, if she was getting food and water and a nice bed, though doubting them all. But now she was here, hugging him, and he missed it. He would trade the world for this any day.

"I _need _that flight tech!" Optimus suddenly exclaimed, holding a large gun. He loaded it, a large _CLICK _booming through the building. He looked out the window, stating, "Shockwave can't hunt all of us at once. Wreckers; we need a diversion."

The green one excitedly shouted, "Let's get some!" bounding out of the building. The red one followed in pursuit, stating, "You got that right," in a throaty voice. The blue one followed behind, his 'hair' whipping from side to side as he silently left the building.

_So _they're_ the Wreckers_, Cameron thought. _Noted._

Bumblebee motioned for Sam, Carly, and Cameron to go over to him as he walked to the entrance and transformed, allowing them inside. The rest of the Autobots bounded outside as well, shooting at some Decepticons crawling over a building towards them, while the Wreckers seemed to be distracting Shockwave. Bumblebee sped off in the other direction, the Autobots aiding them in their escape.

Bumblebee rounded another corner, followed by Mirage, and stopped, opening the doors to let them all out. He sped back to aid the other Autobots along with Mirage, who dumped out Epps and his team. The humans and Cameron watched them speed away from the sidewalk, before Epps turned to Cameron.

"Nice to have ya back, kid," he said, patting her back. She smiled back at him, not knowing what to say. She ignored him then, stepping away from him to observe the rest of the men Epps had. They all looked former N.E.S.T. to her, as she expected them to be. But what she didn't expect to see was a rocket launcher on the back of the biggest guy there.

She gulped, knowing their plan. They were going to shoot the pillar. The control pillar, most likely. "So, uh," she began anyway, "what's the plan?" She promised herself she'd stick to her plan; act confused and stupid, they won't suspect a thing. Even though it was _completely freaking obvious _what their plan was, she was stupid. And confused.

"The plan is to get high enough to shot the rocket at the control pillar," explained one of the soldiers. He pointed to a glass skyscraper in the distance, and stated, "We're shooting from that tower. The control pillar; know what that is?"

Cameron's face flushed, but she nodded. How could she not know what the hell it was? She was 'captured by the Decepticons.' Why wouldn't she know about the pillars? She sighed, looking amongst the group. "Well, are we gonna go, or just stand 'ere?"

They all nodded and began walking in the direction of the building. Cameron observed the building, guessing it was about a mile away, and they had to get across the river first. She almost snorted and blurted out, "Good luck with that," but she kept her mouth shut, for the sake of whatever this plan was.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Carly staring at her. Carly was leaning on Sam as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She was staring at Cameron, her eyes saying, "Do it. Tell them. Tell them your secret."

Cameron responded, "Why didn't you?"

"I dare you."

"Why didn't you?"

Carly sighed, looking defeated. "You do it," her eyes told Cameron. Carly adverted her eyes away from Cameron and kissed Sam on the lips, to which he gladly obliged, and then turned to face the direction they were walking.

Cameron sighed, running a hand through her short hair, messing it up. There was one thing Cameron would never understand in this world, and that was Carly. It was almost as if Carly had a barrier all around her, a barrier specifically designed to not let Cameron get in, and also for nothing to get out.

Would Cameron kill Carly if she told everyone her secret? She paused to think of the answer, then came up with one:

No. She wouldn't.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: WOW. Haha. 3 updates in 3 days. Only if people are actually around to see them. You see, I have no life. I am not going out with friends, family, or vacationing on this break. I am just staying home and LOVING doing nothing. So I have time to write. Good for you, though. ^o^<strong>

**I'M LOVING ALL OF THE REVIEWS I AM GETTING, Y'ALL ARE SOOOO NICE! My mom got me more candy. HAHAHA. But I'm serious, though. I love you guys, thank you so much! **

**The last chapter was 6 pages in Microsoft Word on font 11, and now this one is 7 pages long on font 11. Always font 11. But now I'm 109 pages in on this story! Cool! Although, I DID reach over 300 on another story I gave up on, so, yeah...hahah whatever I'm not giving up on this one!**

**Hope you all liked the chapter. I'm gonna get into Chicago for real now, I just hope that I'm doing the timing and stuff all right. I'm looking at the movie and then going by this, but this has to be slightly AU because of the added OC, so, yeah, sorry... Hope ya liked ze chaptah and please review!**

**AND OMG! NEW NEWS AS OF THE FIRST OF JANUARY! GOSH! I uploaded this but I didn't add the chapter to the story because I'm soo stupid! Gah! Sorry! So y'all have now 2 chapters to read! Again, sorry of my stupidity! -_- *dropsweat* Gosh...  
><strong>

**Okay alright bi ;)**


	21. Goodbye

Chapter 21

After walking for a while, they began running to the building, for time was not something that they had. They entered the building and ran up the stairs, stopping occasionally to catch their breath before forcing themselves to run again. Even when they hit the designated floor (a.k.a floor one million and six), they kept forcing their legs to move, they kept forcing themselves to breath faster at a steady paste.

"Get your fast ass over here!" Epps demanded to the big man carrying the rocket, motioning him over. "Set up the rocket!" he yelled, running to the glass windows that overlooked the mess of a city. "Come on," he whispered to himself, looking down at the ruin with a look of fear and nervousness at the time break.

Sam followed Epps to the broken glass windows and looked down, Carly in pursuit. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pointing to the building with the pillars and shouting, "There! The building with the dome."

A soldier loaded up the rocket launcher on the big man's back as he practiced aiming it at the glowing pillars when suddenly the building started to shake. The group frantically grabbed onto something solid as the building groaned, some of them exclaiming, "Wow!" in fear.

"They're shooting at the building!" a soldier on the far right called, looking down at the ships taking aim where the building was almost cut in two.

Surprisingly, that was okay with Cameron. She could fly now, so it wasn't a problem for her to get out of the building alive. She probably could even pick up Sam and fly away, leaving the others to their doom, and a lesser problem to the Decepticon's plan. It seemed like a good strategy to her, but she didn't go through with it, curiosity of the outcome telling her to wait. She tried to think of another plan-of when she was going to reveal herself to them, and _if _she was. When she couldn't think of one she banged her fist against the stone pillar she gripped, creating a small crack.

"This is not a good idea," the big man complained, breathing hard and fast. He shook his head, saying, "This is not a good idea to do this-"

"-Listen, stop for a second," said Sam, walking over to the big man. "You do-we can't do-it doesn't matter, we'll die," he explained, stuttering as usual. They looked at each other for a second, contemplating, before Sam clapped his hands and patted him on his shoulder, prepping him up, saying, "This is your target, c'mon, you gotta do this, man!" He ran back over to his safe spot, right next to Cameron.

"I don't care if this building goin'na collapse," breathed the man, shutting his left eye and aiming for the pillars. "Imma havin' a heart attack, anyway."

The sound of clinging glass made Cameron look to her left and spot a bunch of liquor bottles shaking and falling over. It may sound crazy, but she was tempted to drink from one. It's the end of the world, she's never had it before and she may never will. Chairs with wheels for feet began sliding down as Epps yelled, "The building's gonna go over! Take cover!" The big man with the rocket launcher stopped aiming and ran for cover, along with everybody else. Sam ran over to Carly and grabbed her for support, completely shocking the frozen Cameron.

_He left me, _she thought to herself as the building's contents began falling over to the side. "He's gone for good," she whispered to herself, her heart stricken with pain of loss and anger directed to Carly.

The Decepticons stopped shooting at the building in their ships for a second, circling around the building, seeing if there are really any humans alive in there. "Keep your hands up!" commanded Epps as people dodged and shoved the sliding chairs and jumped over the fallen obstacles. "Everybody stop!"

"Guys look!" yelled Carly in her high pitched, annoying British accent. She pointed far down to where a Decepticons ship stopped at the windows for a moment. In a flash, everyone ducked behind cover in fear of getting spotted, including Cameron.

The familiar sound of the ships' shifting metal could be heard before a loud crash, the sound of glass broken everywhere. Carly screamed but silenced herself immediately as another sound was heard-a booming sound, the sound of a Decepticon landing through the window. It growled, loading its gun with a _CLICK _that bounded off of the walls in the silent floor.

Cameron should just come out now. She could transform into her robot mode and tell the Decepticon where they were, or even that no one else was here and save them all. Not that she would, it's just an option. But Cameron stayed where she was, knowing that the Decepticon was stupid enough to think that she was a human and blast her. And Cameron didn't know how well her new body could handle a plasma blast designed to damage metal bodies more than ten times the size of her. Even with the AllSpark-even _as _the AllSpark-she'd most likely die before she could tell the dumbass that she's on his side.

The Decepticon advanced forward a little, looking around the floor for any signs of human life, his gun halter directly next to Carly and Sam. "Don't. Move," Sam whispered, staring straight ahead. Carly's body faced ahead, but she turned her eyes slightly to the right, observing the gun.

_Click. _Cameron turned her head to the left, spotting Epps take off that thing-what was it called?-on the grenade. He nodded to the big man a pillar in front of Cameron, and he took that as his clue to slide two wheeled chairs down in the direction of the Decepticon. Another soldier helped, pushing a wheeled chair as well. The Decepticon growled, turning to the direction of the sliding chairs, and that's when Epps threw the grenade.

Once it blew up on the Decepticon, Epps shouted, "Run!" Cameron ran up the tilt of the building, looking back as the soldiers shot at the Decepticon, who was still recovering from the blast. As Sam and Carly ran past her, she followed them. Epps charged up in front, yelling, "Through the glass!" At first Cameron didn't understand what he meant by that, but when she saw him jump through the glass, she gulped. A few soldiers, Sam, and Carly ran through the glass as well, screaming, the already slightly shattered glass breaking easily on impact. Cameron followed, knowing she had no choice.

She jumped, having half a mind to transform to robot mode so the impact with the glass won't hurt a slice her skin. But she didn't, saving it for later. Her body fell on the glass building along with the others, all of them sliding down the slanted building. The group screamed in terror in unison, save for Cameron, who knew she always had a backup. Sam grabbed Carly as they both flailed, trying to grasp something, anything, to save their lives.

"Shoot the glass!" Epps ordered, taking out a pistol and firing at the glass windows they were sliding down. The soldiers obeyed, taking out their own pistols and shooting at the glass on the same level that Epps was. The glass broke on command and they fell through, rolling around on the floor down the other way.

Cameron felt dizzy as she desperately grabbed for something, but she couldn't see anything as she rolled so fast. A pillar stood in her way and she yelped as her body was thrown against it with enough force to take her breath away. She panted, rubbing her side, as she craned her neck, watching the others either crash into something or grab wires that hung down. Sam was one of them who grabbed a group of wires, snatching Carly's hand as she slid down past him. One man wasn't so lucky as he screamed, trying to grasp something but failing. He hit the window, falling out of the building, his screams echoing away into nothing.

Cameron stood up, her reflexes fast, holding onto the pillar for support. Epps just made it at the end, his leg over the edge, holding onto a bright blue wire for support. He looked down, before turning his back and calling out, "This evil thing's lookin' at me!"

"What?" Sam called back out to him, confused.

Epps looked back down, ignoring Sam's question, as a noise bounded in the distance. It sounded somewhat like a drill, but also, strangely, like someone farting after eating Mexican food. Epps turned back again, his face full of only fear, practically shrieking, "And he's got an even uglier Decepticon with it!"

The rest of the men (and Carly) stood up, all rushing quickly but carefully over to the windows to get a look at whatever Epps was talking about. Cameron slid down on the edge of her feet, transforming the tips of her fingers into her robot form's claws and digging them into the ground to slow her momentum. It worked as she came to a slow by the windows, transforming them back as she looked down and gulped at what she saw.

It was that giant metal worm thing that snuffed Prime's trailer earlier, now tumbling through the street nearest them. The other one at the bottom-was that Shockwave?-spoke to it in Cybertronian. It rose like a caterpillar, raising its smaller worm-ish parts to the building, before screaming and attacking the building. The building lurched and Cameron grasped the bright blue wire as she watched it go through the building.

Sam grabbed Cameron's arm, directing her up the slope again as they tried to run away from the worm creature. His other arm was plastered to Carly's as they ran up the slope and around obstacles, trying to dodge it. The worm creature ate the middle of the building, causing a dramatic slant in the opposite direction, sending the group spiraling yet again.

The large, glass building they were in fell against another, smaller one, leaning on it for support, no longer being able to sustain its own weight. The group fell onto some pillars, now that the whole place was completely on its side. Sam dropped onto one and grabbed Carly with as she went falling down next to him, a soldier on his other side grabbing his arm to keep him on the pillar. Cameron fell onto the pillar nearest Sam with a sickening crunch, and she looked up, wheezing. Carly grabbed another soldier's hand and she was dropped down onto the fire escape, Sam rubbing his hurt arm.

The worm continued its rampage ever more, seemingly eating its way through everything. Cameron knew it had to be stopped, or it could go on forever, and she prepared herself to transform before she heard the sharp, familiar sound of an incoming jet.

She turned her head to the noise, ignoring people dropping down onto the fire escape and urging her to join them. Expecting Starscream, she was surprised to find Optimus flying towards them, a tiny object growing larger in the distance. She barely heard him yell, "I'm coming for you!" behind his battle mask as he flew toward the giant worm beast, shooting it, dodging its blows. Craning her neck, her eyes followed him fly up and turn, shooting part of the building as he flew through it, yelling. Optimus flew through the worm, severing its 'head' from the rest of its 'body.'

It sunk onto the ground, the fire in it fading, no longer full of life. Optimus landed on some construction gear up ahead, looking back down at the destruction. Shockwave yelled in aggravation, saying something in Cybertronian as he loaded his arm-gun, shooting at Optimus. Optimus tried to run, to dodge the missiles, but one caught him, sending him flying into the construction building.

"Cameron!" Sam yelled in frustration. She looked down and saw his face red. "Come on! We have to go!"

She left herself be dropped into the arms of another soldier as they eventually found their way to the fire escape staircase and out of the building. They ran into the alleyway, forming back into their tight group of about ten, until Cameron stopped running. She put her hands on her knees, panting hard, sweat beading down her forehead. She was practically wheezing like an asthmatic, her heart threatening to break her chest it was beating so fast.

Sam, seeing his sister not moving, let go of Carly's hand and rushed over to Cameron, patting her on the back. "Come on, Cameron, let's go. We have to go. We stay here, we gonna die," he told her, trying to get her up and running again.

A tear left Cameron's eyes, making her vision fuzzy. "No, Sam," she told him. "I-I can't do this anymore."

"Do what-no, look here Cameron. We have to keep going or else we'll all die, ya see?"

She waved him off, standing straight, her hands on her hips. The rest of the group stopped, staring at her, a soldier even offering to carry her the rest of the way. She shook her head, her breath slowly returning back to normal. "No, Sam, you don't understand what I mean."

Sam stopped patting her back and took a step back, looking down at her. "What?"

She shook her head again, not sure how to word this to her brother. "Sam, I'm…not who you think I am…I-" She turned away from her brother staring breathlessly at her, his eyes wide open. "I'm…I've, uh, changed since that night when Soundwave-the car-took me. Look, I…they made me realize the world for what it truly is, and, I…Sam?" She turned back to him, licking her lips. Out of the corner of her eye, Carly eyed her with interest, urging her to go on. Ignoring her but taking her advice, she continued:

"Sam, there are only few good people in the world. People who actually deserve to live. But the rest? No, they deserve to die. Humans are a violent and stupid race, and I…the Decepticons helped me see that. They helped me see humans for what they really are. And I just can't take that, knowing…Sam? The Decepticons helped me in more ways imaginable. Do you remember the Mission City battle? How you converted the Cube's energy into Megatron's chest. Well, it not only killed him, it…enhanced me. Um, I-" She transformed her hand into her robot form, clinging her sharp claws together. The group gasped and took a step back, suddenly aware of the dangerous creature that they have taken into their group. "Sam? I'm part robot. The Decepticons helped me get used to it, helped me…control it. And…to thank them for all that…for all they've done…I decided that they…made need a little, uh, _help _in their cause-"

"Cameron, no!" Sam shouted, interrupting her. He looked from her claw to her face, and back to her claw. "Cameron you can't join the Decepticons! They're evil, the Autobots are the good ones! Cameron, please, no!"

"Sam?" she asked, wiping away the tear from her eye with her human hand. "Don't, okay? I've already made my decision. The humans suck. Okay? Megatron helped me, now I need to help him." Sam opened his mouth to speak but Cameron held up her clawed hand, silencing him immediately. "Don't try to change me, Sam. I am who I am." She gestured to herself as she transformed to her robot form completely, shocking Sam, who flinched. "You can't change me anymore, Sam. Nothing you can say or do with every change-" she gestured to her metallic body "-_this." _Cameron shifted her feet from side to side nervously, trying to look at anything but her brother who looked at her with a pained, betrayed expression. She set out her wings and felt her back to see if they were really there. Closing her eyes, she focused on flight, and opened them when she felt her feet lift off from the ground.

She looked back at Sam and muttered a goodbye before taking off to the skies, trying to figure out what she would do next.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Happy New Years! *takes out confetti and throws it in the air* Merry 2012! Hehehe. This is your New Years present for being so awesome! XD<strong>

**Thank you all for reading my story and for reviewing. It really means a lot to me!**

**So what do you think of Cameron so far? Am I doing good? And again, like I said before, I took some quotes from the movie. So yeah, whatever, I don't own that dialogue, blah blah blah, you get it.  
><strong>

**There will be like 5 more chapters revolving around the Chicago battle, and then wait to see what's next! I don't want to ruin anything for you, so, yeah...just sayin.'**

**Thanks for reading and please review! Happy New Years! :P **

**Okay alright bi ;)**


	22. Meanwhile, in Africa

Chapter 22

Sam didn't understand, didn't want to understand.

His sister has just come out to him, telling him that she's really half a robot. That's she's joined the evil side of war. That's she's changed forever.

Could Sam take that change? Could he ever accept the fact that his sister, after everything, is now half Cybertronian because of something that he did? Would he ever accept the fact that she defected to the evil side, the one that wanted to kill them all? And that she _agreed?_

His sister has just become a monster. Willingly, she joined the side of evil. Willingly, she would fight for the death of humankind. Willingly, she would destroy Earth. And she wouldn't give a damn about her damage. Anyone who agrees to be on the Decepticon's side has no feelings, no remorse, no feeling of care to the damage it would cause in the long run.

She has become one of them.

Would he ever get his sister back?

* * *

><p>Cameron flew over the building that that worm creature had destroyed, overseeing the destruction of the city as well. She looked down to where the corpse lay, defeated, sad. It almost pained her to look at the corpse, something that was so full of life and energy taken away by a simple slice. It would be that way, if the Decepticons have their way. Humans would take the place of the worm creature, after serving as slaves to them. She'd have to get used to this sight once the day comes.<p>

Playing back her memory, she imagined herself above the fire escape again, after she fell on top of the pillar. Her hand went to her side at the memory, feeling a small crunch once she hit it. Ignoring that painful memory, she tried to place herself in that position, watching Optimus take down the worm creature, only to be taken down himself. Her head fly up to the broken building where he crashed through after being shot by Shockwave, who now mysteriously disappeared.

She flew herself over to the building and on to the other side of it, carefully steering herself, still not have completely perfected the experience of flight. She rounded the corner of the destroyed building-hell, every damn building in this city was destroyed-only to find a mass of metal hanging from wires.

Cameron almost laughed. Optimus was caught by the wires of construction vehicles and he hung there in the air, dangling like a dumbass. His flight gear was still on him, making him literally look like a gigantic pile of hanging, dumb metal. She flew over to him and perched herself on a towering construction vehicle, right next to Optimus. He still hadn't noticed her yet, he just hung there, looking down as…what was that? Cameron squinted her optics, looking closer. It was the Wreckers, climbing up to meet Optimus and cut him down from the wires. If she was going to do this, she had to do this quick-she didn't want the Wreckers on her ass.

"Hey, Optimus!" she yelled from her perch, gaining his attention. He craned his neck to view her and his optics narrowed as he spotted her. "What are you doing?" He still didn't respond, just continued to stare at her, probably trying to figure out what or who she was. Chuckling to herself, she transformed to her human form and clutched the vehicle for support, knowing that she couldn't just whip out her wings as quick as she could when in her robot form if she fell.

Optimus' eyes widened, or un-narrowed themselves, as he recognized her. "Cameron?" he asked, still not completely sure it was her.

Cameron shrugged like it was a normal day and half smiled. "You're good at guessing, Optimus." She transformed back to her robot form, whipping out her wings and everything and let go of the vehicle, walking over closer to Optimus, her arms out like a ballerina on a balance. "Now can you guess how this happened?" she asked, gesturing to her metallic body.

Optimus stared at her, saying nothing, so she went on. "You see, your damn AllSpark did this to me. It somehow," Cameron waved her hand for emphasis, _"transformed _me, you might say, to what I am today. Is it fate?" She shrugged again. "I dunno. I like to think it that way, though. It keeps me going, ya know?" Something at the corner of her eye caught her attention and she looked, spotting the Wreckers climbing closer to them.

She sighed in nervousness and turned her full attention to Optimus, as he did Cameron. "What, no questions, hmm? Like, why did you join the Decepticons? What drove you to doing so?" She arched an 'eyebrow.' "No? Disappointing, Optimus. I'd think you'd be the least bit curious."

"You've aligned yourself with the Decepticons?" Optimus finally asked, causing Cameron to nod and smile.

"Yup. I found they were more…right, in what they do."

"They will destroy your world, Cameron," Optimus explained. "They plan on-"

"_I know, _Optimus, ya idiot," she retorted, snorting. "You think I didn't know their plan? Jesus, what do you take me for, an idiot? Why would I join a side and not even know their own plan, hmm?" She looked back down at the Wreckers. They were close enough for her to hear their mumbling to each other and the clang of metal on metal as they climbed the machinery. "Look, I gotta make this short, since your dogs are comin,'" she told him, looking at the Wreckers. "You've picked the wrong side, and now you're going to die for it. Sentinel _nor _Megatron will have mercy on you, but you probably know that already. Your old, good, sweet mentor is gone and has been for many years. He made a deal with Megatron on _Cybertron. _He's betrayed you ever since." She looked back at him, the corner of her 'lips' turning up. "Everything you touch turns to shit, Optimus, in time. It seems like no one likes you anymore."

"Optimus!" yelled one of the Wreckers, now very close, too close for Cameron's liking. She turned, feeling her back to make sure the wings were still out. Jumping from the vehicle, she activated her thrusters, floating in mid-air. She turned back to Optimus, who was still watching her, a look of annoyance in his eyes. Good.

"You can't do anything right, can you?" she asked before flying away, carefully maneuvering around the building, wondering if she did the right thing.

* * *

><p>"Decepticons around the world…launch the pillars."<p>

Decepticons around the world held the pillars into the sky, watching them go up and create blue light, illuminating the surrounding ten feet. They were in every single continent around the world, ranging from Africa to Antarctica to Australia. They were in groups of two, each carrying one, two, or maybe even three pillars each group. One Decepticon would guard the other as the other would ready the pillars and launch them into the sky.

One special group of two Decepticons were stationed in southern Nigeria. One of them had big, yellow wings that bore a Decepticon tattoo on both. He was also colored red and a brown/gray, his eyes being a bright, aluminous yellow. For a mechanical being, he looked rather old, almost like the appearance of a 50 year old human male. His face appeared tired and worn, and his eyes no longer had that fight in them that he had so many years ago. He was a very old Seeker, one of the oldest, also known as Ransack. He held the pillars in his hands, readying them, pressing the coordinated buttons and watched them fly into the air and up into space, where it was to bring their home planet into the orbit of the planet they now walk.

The other large Decepticon held a gun, lazily resting on his shoulder, obviously not caring about 'guarding' his partner and the pillars. He had a single, large optic that covered most of his face and was the color of green, a rare color in Cybertronians. His body armor was the color of yellow with black stripes like a zebra, and his large wings loosely hung on his back. His facial structure could be compared to that of a 30 year old human male. His name was Fearswoop.

After Ransack watched the pillars disappear until they couldn't even be seen by the Cybertronian eye, he sighed, turning back around to his one eyed partner. "I'm tired, Fearswoop," he complained, running a clawed hand over his face, a human gesture he picked up. He talked in English because he was too tired to remember his own language.

Fearswoop let the gun fall onto the ground with a boom as it fell on the grassy terrain. He shrugged, turning to face his comrade. "Me too, man." When it hit him he flinched, and asked, "Tired of what, exactly?"

Ransack sighed at the usual idiocy of his friend. "Tired of everything. Do you know how old I am, how many battles I'm gone through, how much damage I've taken, how many comrades I've seen die and how many I've killed?"

Fearswoop groaned, knowing what was to come: a very large analogy of how old his friend was and how much he's been through and how tired and angry he was at the universe, how he longed for vacation. "Come on, man!" he whined. "I know you're old-I've heard this a thousand times already! I don't wanna-"

"Stop," commanded his friend, holding up a hand to silence Fearswoop. "Not that way." There was a long pause before he continued speaking. "I-don't get me wrong, old friend-I'm not sure…I want to stay with the Decepticons anymore." Fearswoop was an idiot and everyone knew it, but right now, he had a moment in which he froze and really took in someone else's words, contemplating them. Ransack continued. "I'm not entirely sure I agree with their ways anymore, how they wish and _thrive _to destroy everything, as if it is to cure their hunger of some sick sort."

Ransack gestured to his left with a large hand. A tiny village sat there, consisting of no more than 20 people. People, who were dressed in grass skirts and some dirty, old cloths, with makeup all over their faces looked up at the two giants in the night, the moon being the only source of light. They didn't dare go near or speak as the two giants handled some sort of gadget then sent it off into the night sky, turning around only to converse in another unknown language. The people of the village flinched when one of the giants turned a large, clawed hand in their direction, both of their gazes cast down on the village.

"These are living creatures," Ransack went on explaining. "Living creatures with thoughts, with emotions, that can _feel pain. _Would you really want to destroy their habitat to force them to fix a world _we _destroyed?"

"But they're stupid," Fearswoop countered. "They can't even speak."

"They speak _another language, _you _idiot!" _yelled Ransack, startling the people of the village, making them murmur and step back a little.

"Their houses are stupid."

"That's all the materials they could muster." Ransack turned his head and examined the stick houses, smiling. "It's quite brilliant, when you think about. Intelligent life on other planets, having the right in mind to create the basic things they do, even with little resources."

Fearswoop examined the houses, still not very impressed with the work. On Cybertron, they had houses and buildings that stood so high, even to the Cybertronian eyes. It was magnificently created from artistic architects who made the buildings glow. Cybertron was so beautiful in its golden age, so high and mighty. Fearswoop missed it. Everyone did. That's probably why the Decepticons did what they did and the Autobots did what _they _did. Both factions believed in their own ways of bringing the old Cybertron back. It was similar to the Republicans and Democrats of Earth's United States of America, one could say.

"It is…" Fearswoop began, "intelligent, in some words, and…kind of brilliant how life elsewhere thinks the same but, like you said, its basic things. Basic."

"But think of all the other planets we went to-the creatures there couldn't grasp the concept, and they were thousands of years old, some millions."

"And that's because their stupid." Fearswoop paused, thinking it all over, what his partner said and what it all really meant. Then, he muttered a, "I'm with you, though, on the whole Decepticons are crap thing. I…" he looked back down on the village, at all of the little human beings looking back up at him with big eyes filled with awe and disbelief, "think life elsewhere-especially Earth, so inhabited-should continue on living, undisturbed."

Ransack slightly smiled at Fearswoop's words, mostly because he hasn't heard an intelligent thing come out of that mech's mouth in…ever, but the other reason being that he wasn't alone in this internal conflict. Ransack turned to the village and began walking, only taking about five steps to be there because of his size. The people backed away in fear, mumbling to themselves, some yelling at each other in that strange language of theirs.

"No no," Ransack whispered, holding his hands up. "It's okay. I'm not going to harm you."

"What are you doing?" asked Fearswoop, never moving from his position.

Ransack slowly kneeled down, reaching out a clawed finger to the humans. "It's okay, it's okay," he whispered, before realizing he was still talking in English and switched to their native language, saying the same thing. A woman holding her baby stopped moving away from the beast that was Ransack and instead looked up at his with curiosity. Slowly, carefully, she began walking towards him, the baby in her arms reaching out its nibble little hands to Ransack. He held out a clawed finger out to the baby and let it bat its hands on the metal, taking amusement in the clanging of metal he's never heard before.

"You're letting it touch you?" asked Fearswoop, walking over to him and crouching down next to him.

"Why not?" asked Ransack, his smile growing wider as he watched the little child play and the mother join in, batting his metal finger. They made a beat, going with the noise like a rap song.

"Why not?" recited Fearswoop. "Because we need to go now, that's why. We've been here too long." He stood up, backing away to transform but turned to his friend before he did so. "You coming?"

Ransack looked back down at the child and sighed, getting up to his full height. He stood back a few feet and transformed into his biplane bipedal mode, turning once he heard the child laugh and point at his transformation. Smiling inwardly, he flew off, followed soon by his jet friend, Fearswoop, who still had no clue what happened between baby and transformer.

* * *

><p>Cameron was flying through the air, planning on telling Sentinel about Optimus and the current situation, when she stopped, something catching her eye. A bunch of bright, large, moving colors beneath her. When she looked down what she saw shocked her.<p>

Bumblebee, Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Mirage were captured, held by at least six Decepticons. From what Cameron could see and from her knowledge, Bumblebee was held by Barricade, Wheeljack by Soundwave, and the others by Dreads; simple bots sent out to do dirty work, none expected to return.

Cameron gasped and immediately flew down to them landing hard on the ground, losing her footing but leaning against some rubble for balance. She watched as Ratchet fought in the middle of the horseshoe with a Dread, punching it as it was trying to push him back. "Get off me!" he yelled just as he was pushed to the ground, landing with a thud. In an instant, the Dread got him back on his feet and pushed him to the side, making him go down on his knees with his hands held behind his back. In fact, all of them were on their knees with their hands held behind their backs by their captures. Cameron walked up behind them, her eyes wide with shock, her heart pumping hard, telling her to do something about it-to save them-but her mind conflicting, stating that she's a Decepticon now and Decepticons don't care about Autobots.

She went up to Soundwave, being more familiar and somewhat comfortable with him, and tapped his foot hard, getting his attention. He looked down at her, his red eyes glaring, clearly not in the mood for whatever she had to say. "What are you doing, Soundwave?" she asked, gesturing to the hopeless group of Autobots. "With them. What are you doing with them?"

"Prisonersss," he hissed, chuckling to himself.

It might not have been the right emotion to go through her at the moment but a wave of relief washed over her. Prisoners, he said. And they don't kill prisoners. They might…torture…them, but not kill. They'd live. Bee and Ratch and Mirage and Wheeljack would live, and that's all of the recognition this Decepticon needed.

But that was until Dylan showed up and ruined it all.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait for the update! But it's here, isn't it? Ha! In time for 3 Kings Day! I'm not Spanish, but whatever-there you go! <strong>

**Well, I haven't much to say here, right now, really, other than this: The whole Ransack/Fearswoop thing was preparation for a sequel to this story (sorry if that spoiled anything for anyone). The Ransack/Fearswoop thing IS, in fact, important later on in the sequel. Again, I hope I didn't ruin anything for anyone.**

**Expect the next chapter pretty soon, I guess, too.**

**I hope you liked the chapter! THANK YOU ALL for ALL of the WONDERFUL reviews I've been getting. It's really lightened my mood lately, because I just recently had a breakdown about school and was SO CLOSE to dropping out, even though I'm too young for that. But, anyway...review please! I LOVEEEEE the feedback! 3**

**Okay alright bi ;)  
><strong>


	23. Confrontations

Chapter 23

"What is this? You're keeping prisoners?"

Dylan stormed up to Soundwave, a look of death on his face. No one deserved what was probably going on through that man's mind right now.

"Yesss," Soundwave hissed, slightly smiling. He moved his gun in his arms, suddenly recognizing the weapon and what it could do to his enemies who stood there by his feet, hopeless.

"There is no prisoners," Dylan went on. Cameron's heart beats slowed as more words came out of Dylan's mouth. _Dylan, shut up shut up shut up, _she sang in her head. "Not in war. Now-now, it was business, but this is personal. You have to teach them about respect."

Cameron's heart stopped. She knew where this was going. And as she looked out at the cast of Autobots-Mirage, Wheeljack, Ratchet, and Bumblebee-she realized that she didn't really want them to die. _No, _she _didn't _want them to die. They couldn't. They were her friends. Well, Ratchet and Bumblebee, anyways, but Mirage and Wheeljack were friends of friends, and they didn't deserve to be killed.

Dylan was going too far with this. How did this affect him, anyway? How was he even part of the destruction? He played no part in this-he was the liaison, and he couldn't even liaise. He couldn't have felt the heartbreak, he couldn't have done any hardships that any of them had. He was just a pissed off bystander who somehow called the shots. Well, anything can tick the Decepticons off. Soundwave didn't need to be told by _Dylan _to kill the remaining Autobots-he would have done it, eventually.

No one was safe.

"Yesss," hissed Soundwave again. He was enjoying this too much to form conversations like the one Cameron had with him when she was captured by him the first day. Now? He wasn't the intelligent Decepticon Cameron came to label him as earlier. No, this was a bot that just wanted to kill, always waiting for the opportunity. It was even worse when he said, "No prisoners, only trophies," smiling even wider.

Cameron's heart dropped. No, seriously, it did. She died, and they'd have to pick up the shattered pieces on the floor along with her corpse. They were going to kill Bumblebee. And Ratchet. And Mirage and Wheeljack. They were about to get murdered. Right in front of her eyes.

"No," she whispered, suddenly turning to a scream. "No!" She turned to Dylan and yelled, "Dude, if you don't shut the fuck up right now…" At a loss of words, she turned back to Soundwave, who looked down at her with a disapproving frown. "Soundwave! Don't you think, ah…Megatron would _want…_prisoners? Don't you think you're…_master _should decide their fate, not you?"

"What's the matter, Cameron?" asked Dylan, smiling, getting Cameron's attention. "Going soft on us?"

"Dylan? I can transform my arms into cannons and blow your face off. Don't test me."

"I don't believe you would." He began walking over to her, still smiling, still fucking _talking. _"There are consequences for those type of actions."

"Oh? Who's gonna miss you, your damn dogs? Oooh," she mocked, "I'm sooo scared."

Dylan chuckled, licking his lips. Cameron's mind automatically flashed back to Francesco and how he kept on licking his lips when he was nervous. When he knew she was going to kill him. Was this the same? Cameron hoped it was. "I don't think you're a full Decepticon."

"Well, you aren't either, Mr. Still-Skins. At least I fucking _look _like them. Who have you killed, hand to hand?"

Dylan narrowed his eyes at Cameron, but quickly looked up at Soundwave. "Soundwave, would you please," he asked, gesturing to the Autobots.

"Bee?" asked Wheeljack. He looked over at Bumblebee with a look of fear and uncertainty. "I think they're going to…kill us."

Bee chirped in anxiety and tried to get up, only to be pushed back down by Barricade, who still held his hands behind him.

"Come here!" commanded Soundwave, picking Wheeljack up on his feet only to push him forward and have him fall back down.

"No! Wait!" cried Wheeljack shamelessly, trying to face Soundwave and hold his hands up in the defenseless position, because he was. From what Cameron knew he was only a mere scientist. He was not built for this.

"Go!" shouted Soundwave, getting annoyed his precious execution was taking so long.

"But we're your prisoners!" Soundwave shoved Wheeljack forward until he was standing in the middle of the horseshoe circle. He raised his gun and pointed it to the back of Wheeljack's head as Wheeljack tried to come to terms with his executioners. "I'm not gonna-"

_CRUNCH. _Soundwave pressed the trigger and let go the sonic blast that sunk through Wheeljack's chest. Wheeljack cried out and grunted, falling to his knees. He looked down at the gaping hole in his chest and fingered what was left. "Why did ya-UGH!" Another blast from a Dread silenced him as it went through his neck, only missing his head by a few inches. Wheeljack's corpse fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes and his head rolled off, his body turning to rust and most of it fading away by a cold gust of air.

Cameron stay frozen in shock as she saw Wheeljack's corpse burn away by the rust like the end of a cigarette, minus the smoke. She'd never seen that happen to a dead transformer before, and she sure as hell didn't want to see it again. But, looking upon the group of three sad, leftover Autobots, she knew it was not going to be the last time she would ever see a body wither away like that.

Instantly, she flinched, remembering Bumblebee and turned to his direction. He sulked, his head hanging down, his arms supporting him on the ground. _"Goodbye my oldest friend," _played from his radio, the first time Cameron had something serious come out of Bumblebee.

Barricade grabbed Bumblebee and pushed him forward, exclaiming, "You're _mine _now!"

"You see," Dylan whispered into Cameron's ear. She continued to stare straight, watching Bumblebee struggle for his life against Barricade. "We always win." He held out his hand, gesturing to Bumblebee and Barricade. Dylan raised his voice. "Tides turn. The one who lost the first battle wins the next." She knew what he was talking about; the first time Bumblebee introduced himself to them, after fighting off Barricade and defeating him, but not having the heart to kill him-instead, just leaving him there, for dead. "I'm surprised you've only just seen this, Cameron."

Barricade pushed Bumblebee to the center, making him fall on the corpse of his deceased friend before picking him back up and pushing him forward again. Bumblebee elbowed his hand out of the way, his radio blaring, "Get off me!"

"Turn around!" Barricade hissed back, turning Bumblebee until his back was facing him. Bumblebee let his shoulders droop as he heard the gun being raised and pointed to the back of his head. He was going to die. Just like his friend. And after him, even more friends would fall to the Decepticons. Cameron noticed how his eyes shifted around on the ground, deep in thought, before they stopped and stayed staring in one position. Cameron, confused, followed the direction of his eyes and gasped as she saw what he was staring at.

Sam sat in an overturned car, looking up at his Autobot friend, his guardian, that was about to be executed in front of his eyes. A tear fell down his cheek, his eyes bloodshot, his mouth agape, as he knew all he could do was watch as his friend was executed. Carly was in the car as well, sitting on her knees on the hood of the back of the car. She looked up at Bumblebee as well, sad for the loss of an Autobot and an acquaintance, but not a friend, for they were not that close. Carly looked down, stricken, until her head snapped up and glared at Cameron where she stood, suddenly furious. Cameron shifted her feet, avoiding Carly's gaze, never seeing her this angry before, when a sudden noise caught all of their attention.

Cameron had to look twice to completely register a large Decepticon ship falling out of the air and onto the city grounds. Everyone turned around to see the ship bounce off a building, crushing the entire side of it, and continue on, only to crash into the small river. Bumblebee, taking this as an advantage, slapped his battle mask on and kicked Barricade in the face, causing him to take a few steps back. She felt Dylan leave her side and turned her head, only to find him running away like a coward.

Like she said; he only was a liaison, and he couldn't even liaise.

All around her, the fight broke out; Mirage whipped out his swords and quickly turned around and decapitated the Dread that held him captive. Dodging the bullets shot by Ratchet's Dread, he distracted him, allowing Ratchet to shoot his Dread in the face. They went off the fight the rest of them as Bumblebee kept in his fight on Soundwave, Barricade fleeing from the fight, just like Mission City. Finally, one bullet hit Bumblebee, sending him backwards as Soundwave advanced. It seemed Cameron saw in slow motion as Bumblebee put his hand on Soundwave's right shoulder to steady him as his right cannon arm went under Soundwave's chest plates and Bumblebee shot, the sonic blast going through Soundwave's spark and head, his body going limb as Bumblebee tossed it aside. His battle mask went up as he watched the ship settle down into the river, damaging a bridge in the process.

Cameron swore vehemently, but also glad that her friends were saved, although she'd never admit it. Activating her thrusters, she flew away, the cold air biting her metal and reducing her headache.

_Well, that sucked, _she reminisced, flying through the air. But would it be great if the Autobots were dead?

Cameron saw the somewhat familiar red bot in the distance and flew to it, settling down next to it. "Sentinel," she said, bowing her head a little. He looked down at her with amusement twinkling in his optics. What the fuck was funny right now? "Sir?" she asked, but Sentinel only chuckled and shook his head, looking back down over the city.

_Okay, then, _she thought, _that was just weird. _But she turned her head and overlooked the city as well, hands behind her back, mouth shut, because she knew not to question her master's master.

In the distance, she saw the Autobots rolling with some humans, the soldiers, on their tails. They were shooting at a group of Decepticons already under fire from the humans, some Dreads that allowed themselves to be killed by a few. Cameron only recognized two Decepticons in the mix of many; Shockwave and Barricade. Normally, no one would really stand a chance, but the humans somehow got them by surprise and started to shoot out their optics and blast their feet off.

A chill crawled up Cameron's spine as the realization that they were getting clever dawned on her. Megatron told her to go for the optics; the humans went for the optics. Megatron told her to blast their feet from under them; the dead Dreads were legless. Either Megatron told them the secrets to killing Cybertronians with limited or semi-limited supplies or the humans were getting smarter.

As the Autobots-Ratchet, Bumblebee, Mirage, the Wreckers-and the humans-Epps, Will, and the soldiers-descended on the remaining Decepticons, a feeling a doubt shrouded Cameron's confidence that they were going to win. The six Decepticons who were left were putting up a good fight, but it's not like it was going to be that way forever. They weren't even hitting any Autobots, just missing and fending them off. One Dread all the way to the right of the battlefield fell down to his knees, clutching his chest dramatically, before his head was disconnected from his neck and fell on the streets, along with the rest of his body, no longer animate.

One down, five to go.

Looking back down at the Autobots, Cameron's mind suddenly clicked. The Wreckers were here. Where had she seen them last? Helping cut Optimus loose. So what did that mean, no that they were here?

Optimus was free.

"Optimus," Cameron hissed, whispering. She fell to her knees at the side of the building, clutching the edge in her robotic claws, focusing on the battle. He wasn't there, wasn't among the Autobot crew. "So where is he?" Cameron asked aloud, ignoring the fact that Sentinel could hear and question her sanity.

As if the Gods heard her question, a large red and blue metallic shape flew in the distance and used its legs to bounce off the side of the building. Optimus flew into the scene of battle and landed on the ground, ever moving. One by one, he moved down the line of Decepticons, slicing their limbs and cutting into their bodies leaving them for the rest of his team to kill. He made his way to the battered up Shockwave with his only eye dangling as Optimus tumbled, dodging a shot by Shockwave and getting back up in an instant, punching through Shockwave's torso. Choreographically, he dodged another swipe by Shockwave, picking him up and slammed him on the ground. Optimus leaned over him and ripped Shockwave's only optic out, yelling, "You die!" Shockwave's body slumped on the ground and smoke flooded out of the space that his optic used to occupy as Optimus turned and used his arm-gun as a weapon and shot Shockwave's last, dying shot at the pillar.

Cameron tumbled out of the way and turned to watch the structure collapse off the side of the building. "No!" cried Sentinel, reaching out, trying to get a grasp on the pillar but failing as it fell out of reach.

"Get down here, Sentinel!" yelled Optimus, glaring up at Sentinel from where he stood on the ground. Cameron looked over the edge at Optimus, glaring. How could one bot do this much _fucking _damage in a matter of seconds? It just wasn't _possible. _She glared at Optimus as his eyes caught hers, still glaring. There was something in his eyes that Cameron couldn't understand. It was as if he took control of her mind and made her soft again, despite her taking days to toughen herself up and tell herself thatThe gui she's a Decepticon. Was it a look of pity or a look of disapproval from Optimus that made Cameron, even in her robot form, choke a sob and look away, scratching the ground with her claws to keep from crying? Either or, Cameron ached and longed for…something else, she didn't know. Something more…peaceful, than this ending.

How could one look from her enemy completely disrupt her and change her mind? Cameron was strong-or, at least, she thought herself to be. She killed 58 men single handedly, did she not?

But somewhere, deep down inside, something told Cameron that none of it mattered, that whatever she did was a wrong decision. And that no matter what she did, Cameron would never win.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Well, there you go! Sorry for the long wait, but exams are coming up and I've been having loads of homework. Maybe the weekend after exams I'll be able to upload again, but like I said earlier, sorry! They're just giving us loads of packets and telling us to do them and they don't even help. -_-<strong>

**I hope you liked the chapter and I'll try to upload soon! Please review! XD**

**And I have been reading along FanFiction and would like to recommend a few awesome stories to you guys!: _Love Like Woe, In the Beginning, _and ****_The Guidelines to Living With Robots, _ALL by Makkenna Witwicky. Read them, they're cool! XP**

**Okay alright bi ~ ;)**


	24. It's Over Now

Chapter 24

"Optimus," stated Sentinel, flailing his sword around to show it off. "You forget your place."

Cameron watched as Sentinel jumped off the building, committing sheer suicide, before driving his sword into the side of the building, slowing his fall to the ground. Something in the back of her mind told Cameron that what Sentinel said wasn't based on the previous actions of Optimus, but from many years ago, when the battle still raged on Cybertron. It was something deep down inside Sentinel that brought an age old rage up, his frame practically glowering despite the fact that he was a robot.

"I bring you Cybertron," he continues, "your _home. _And _still _you choose humanity." He flails the sword around until he finds the rightful place in which to hold it, the place he has been holding it all those years on Cybertron, splitting Decepticons in half.

Optimus' mouth plate rolls back so he can speak more clearly to his old master as he states, grabbing a sword from his back, "You were the one who taught me freedom is everyone's right." And with a battle cry he pounces forward, knocking Sentinel into the building, making it crumble away even more. Optimus pins Sentinel with Sentinel's arms up and his battle axe to his neck.

"I _will _retrigger the pillar!" cries Sentinel, trying to fight back against his equally strong pupil.

"Then, you'll have to _go through me!" _responds Optimus, which gives him a kick to the abdomen as he rolls away and Sentinel charges.

Cameron watched with interest as the two Primes battled it out. Whoever knew it would come down to this, Prime to Prime? It is a terrible feat for Cybertron to have its last two Primes fight it out, but this one would go down in the historical records. Not only was is a battle of the Primes, but it was a battle of Master and Student. Cameron had seen enough Star Wars to know that the Student would always overcome the Master with their youthfulness, but it didn't seem to be with Sentinel. From what Cameron knew and what she's seeing, Sentinel was a fair match, maybe even better. Sure, Optimus has a thing for faces, but Sentinel-even given his extreme age, especially for a Cybertronian-dodges Optimus' blows and delivers his own. It was a tipping scale with who would win and who would lose, but Cameron just wondered where the popcorn was.

Something at the corner of her eye made Cameron look up. She gasped, hand coming to her mouth in pure admiration and surprise. A very large metallic looking planet that somewhat resembled a beehive came into view, closer, closer. Was this Cybertron? Now where was her camera? She silently made a vow that once she visits there with the human slaves, to take a tour around with her camera and take as many pictures as possible, even if it annoyed Megatron.

Getting back to business and promising herself that she'd see Cybertron again later anyways, Cameron activated her thrusters and flew down to get a better look at the fight that took place below her and perched herself on top of the sides of the bridge, close enough to the battle but not close enough to be crushed. She heard Sentinel cry, "All Decepticon ships! Fire at Optimus!" and watched as the ships came off of the sides of buildings and flew towards Optimus. The fired their guns at Optimus, driving him away from Sentinel, where Sentinel only got attacked by the Autobots and humans. The humans sat by, hiding behind things like cars and debris, using careful aim as they rained down bullets on Sentinel-not like it mattered, though. What really mattered was Sentinel, taking on Bumblebee, Ratchet, Mirage, and Sideswipe all at once. His huge frame could easily take them on, but it seemed as if he were desperately waving his sword around, hoping to catch something, anything, and resume his fight to the death with Optimus.

Cameron noticed a few selective humans fighting off some ground Decepticons-including a giant, four legged thing that resembled Devastator but was nowhere near in size-with the Wreckers. With all this battle going on around her, she felt completely useless and dumb. She was a Decepticon, for God's sake! She should get in there and kill someone! Even Sam and Carly were making themselves useful. Sam was running to the pillar, trying to deactivate it or something, but Cameron's been around the pillars longer than Sam and even _she _didn't know how to work them, so what made Sam think he did? But it was the typical, hard-working, determined Sam Cameron came to know…and hate. Carly was running off in some direction, probably trying to escape the massacre like a whiny, selfish little priss. She wasn't even trying to help anyone-she was just escaping, all about her! For the record, Cameron never liked her.

Feeling the need to kill, or do _something, _Cameron got off her perch and went to where Optimus was, trying to fight off the ships, hiding behind a statue. She landed on the ground by his feet as he yelled, "The ships have us pinned!" And by 'us,' he pretty much meant himself. A ship's plasma bullet caught Optimus on his torso-_finally-_and sent him flying backward as he cried out, "No!" Cameron had to duck as his body flew over her head, but immediately went over to where his head lay on the rubble.

She laughed out loud at Optimus' misery, pointing at his head until she got his attention. He turned, glaring at her with all the hatred he could muster at the point, his gaze no longer pitiful to the techno-organic. Still smiling, she turned her pointed arm into a plasma cannon and was ready to shoot his face, to deliver the final blow, when she felt herself go flying through the air. She landed with a grunt against the side of the bridge when her eyes immediately darted back to Optimus, seeing his hand falling back to his side to pick himself up.

Optimus swatted her! He actually swatted her! Cameron beat the ground and screeched, "Mother_fucker!" _She stopped after a second and went back over the situation in her head. Prime swatted her away so she couldn't blast his skull, never really intending to hurt her and he could've just crushed her right there, but to give her the notion to back off, as he was stronger than her. Cameron guffawed, clutching her abdomen, rolling over on the ground. A Prime swatted her away when he had all of the power and right to just end her right there, but he didn't. He was even stupider than she thought! Now he still has a powerful, potential enemy to deal with. What an idiot! He calls himself a Prime?

Cameron made herself stop laughing as she sat back up, giggling, but only for a second when she saw Optimus and Sentinel flying towards her again. She activated her thrusters and flew out of the way immediately, her adrenaline saving her from being crushed by two giants. She perched herself on the side of the bridge again, clutching the metal, her mind telling her to fly away but her heart willing her to stay right up close to the battle, telling her that once Optimus dies she'll have the image plastered in her mind forever.

"You were always the bravest of us!" Sentinel yelled, coming as no surprise to Cameron as she knew, even though she despised him with all her might, that he was a brave soldier. Sentinel leaned back and held up his shield for cover as Optimus beat on it, grunting, crying out in irritation at his old mentor. Sentinel used the shield to push Optimus back a few steps back and whipped out his sword again, swinging. "But you could never make the _hard _decisions!"

_Since when was ending humankind a hard decision? _Cameron thought to herself, confused. _Especially coming from Sentinel?_

Cameron gasped when Sentinel's sword found Optimus' shoulder joint and clicked in, completely taking off his arm as he screamed, "No!" as if that would stop his doom.

She watched with close eyes as Optimus fell on the ground, trying to crawl away from his killer, but it was no use.

"We were Gods once, all of us!" cried Sentinel, driving his sword into Optimus' other arm, into his shoulder joint, but taking it out before it completely severed his other arm. Optimus cried out, trying to crawl away again, but turning around and with his last arm grabbing onto Sentinel's torso, begging, "Please!"

_So weak, _she thought with a smirk, leaning over the edge of the side of the bridge, getting really into it. Again, where was the popcorn?

Sentinel kicked Optimus down again, releasing Optimus' arm from Sentinel's torso and raised his sword up high over his head, proclaiming, "But there can only be _one!"_

Cameron heard the familiar blast from a plasma cannon before it went whizzing by her head. She turned her head and gasped, finding Megatron running towards Sentinel, blasting him, _saving Optimus. _She stood as Megatron took Sentinel on, throwing him this way and that, kicking him, punching him, loudly proclaiming, "This is _my _planet!"

Her jaw dropped to her knees as she watched Megatron rip Sentinel apart. What the _fuck _was he doing? _Helping _his enemy stay alive? Sentinel was about to kill him! Why did Megatron intervene? Megatron was a cold, heartless killer-he couldn't have had a change of heart, so why the sudden intervention?

Cameron leaned forward on her perch as Megatron threw Sentinel aside, turning to Optimus as stating, "I think we need to consider a truce." Now he wants a truce? With _Prime? _Why would anyone, especially Megatron, want a truce with Prime? _What kind of Twilight Zone did I walk into? _she asked herself as Megatron continued. "All I want is to be back in charge." So Megatron was afraid that after this day he couldn't be in charge anymore unless he made a truce with Optimus? Seriously, what the hell? "Besides, who would you be without me, Prime?"

_That did it, _thought Cameron as she craned her neck to look at Optimus. He looked at Megatron with all of the hatred he could muster as a one-armed buffoon, and hissed, "Time to find out." Sliding his battle mask into place, he completely caught Megatron off guard as he grabbed his battle axe and turned on the heat. Choreographically, as if rehearsed, he came up behind the surprised Megatron and dug his axe into his head. Cameron gasped yet again as Megatron cried out, something in Cybertronian, and tried to claw at the axe as his head and mechanical spine were ripped from his body. Optimus threw aside the axe that was still dug in Megatron's head as Megatron's inanimate body fell to the ground, something Cameron has seen way too many times today.

Something in Cameron died along with Megatron. He was her master, her savior. And now he was dead. Cameron was practically dead as well.

"Optimus," whined Sentinel, making Cameron jump. She forgot he was alive. She watched as he crawled towards her, facing away from Optimus, but talking to him and gaining his attention. "All I ever wanted was the survival of our race." _You weren't the only one, _Cameron thought as she watched Optimus pick up Megatron's shotgun and let him. "You must see why I _had _to betray you."

Now Sentinel Prime was begging for mercy by Optimus Prime? Now she was totally convinced she had stepped into some Twilight Zone.

"You didn't betray me," Prime stated, loading the gun and aiming it at Sentinel. "You betrayed yourself."

Sentinel desperately shook his head as Cameron finally saw just how desperate he actually was. "No, Optimus!"

Sentinel cried out as Optimus fired, sending him into Cameron's post. She quickly activated her thrusters and took off into the skies, avoiding the other blast from Optimus that ended Sentinel forever.

She stayed in the air like that, floating high above the mess below her. Even in her robot form, she choked on a sob. Her master was dead, and her master's master. What was she going to do now? How was she going to conquest this task on her own? It was too monumental, even for the AllSpark Host. Megatron, the one who taught her everything she knew about fighting, was dead, and even as the AllSpark, she didn't think she'd be able to revive a decapitation victim.

From what she could see from high above, Bumblebee had arrived and Sam got out as he transformed. Optimus nodded at him, a nod that told him that everything was alright, while Cameron's world just fell apart. She watched as Sam ran towards Carly and embraced her, lifting her off the ground, just like he used to do with Cameron when she was younger.

Heartbroken at her losses, at everything, she let her boosters fail her as she dropped thirty feet to the ground. She landed right in front of Megatron's head, creating a crater in the ground and a massive boom that echoed throughout the broken land.

With all of the confusion and innocence of a little girl, she reached out and touched her master's giant head, only a few inches taller. She stoked the metal, willing him to come back alive and tell her what to do, but knowing that wasn't possible.

She transformed back to her human form and took in a deep breath, stroking the metal with her soft flesh, seeing how it felt so much better. A tear ran down her cheek as she looked around her and found everyone's eyes on her. Hunching her shoulders, she decided she never felt as humiliated and distraught in her life ever before.

The soldiers looked at her with hatred, and some even raised their guns to her, taking aim at her head. She saw Epps as he looked at her with pity, always the nicest, but the stupidest. Lennow looked at her with disappointment, the smarter one, the one who knew she didn't deserve any pity from humans, or at all.

But Sam…Sam never looked more hurt than in his life. The only time she saw him extremely hurt was when Mikaela dumped him, but never again. Until now. His eyes were bloodshot from crying, a lump was visible in his throat, and his eyes shown nothing but sadness. She felt that she betrayed him big time, and that she could never repay him for it.

She couldn't repay anyone for what she did. Ever. Again.

Carly was standing right next to Sam, one hand around his shoulder and one on his chest in a protective stance. Ha! As if she could ever stand a chance again Cameron. It almost made Cameron laugh until she looked into Carly's eyes and saw the amusement in her glaze. What was there to be amused about? Cameron's demise?

She balled her hands into fists as she looked up at Optimus and almost died just at the sight. I mean, who wouldn't be tremor in fear as a colossus being who just killed the two most undefeated persons in your life looking at you like you're next?

Yelping like an injured puppy, she pressed her fleshy, sweaty palm against Megatron one more time before stepping back and transforming into her robot mode, activating her thrusters and blasting off.

As she flew through the skies, she wondered what she would do now. With no plausible goal, she might as well be a dead man. Er, woman. She'd probably be terminated soon by the hands of Optimus Prime himself.

Sniffling, she maneuvered out of the way of an oncoming building and jumped off the side, not being able to fly correctly. She was hurt too much, both physically and mentally.

Prime was right. She couldn't do anything right. And no matter what she did, it was never going to be good enough. Her world was destined to fall around her.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Okay guys, sorry for the long-ass weight, but I had a plot bunny that I couldn't get rid of. You may know it as <em>From Another Point of View, <em>and you may not. For all those who don't, LOOK AT IT! :D I hope you'll like it as much as I did writing it. I'm giong to be writing some one-shots or a possible story, thanks to _Makkenna Witwicky _for the idea, on it.  
><strong>

**Don't worry, I haven't given up on this story. And there are at least 5 more chapters, but then it's over. :( Sorry! But I'm already planning on a sequel, though I don't have a name for it yet. -_-**

**Anyways, in the mean time, you should totally check out some stories by my friend _Makkenna Witicky: In the Beginning, Love Like Woe, and Guidelines for Living With Robots. _Seriously, check them out, they're awesome! I love her OC's!**

**Anyways, again, that's about it for now. Thank you for reading my story and sticking with me! Please review! They're about as good as chocolate chip cookie dough! XP**

**Okay alright bi ~ ;)  
><strong>


	25. Dreams

Chapter 25

_It's been about three months._

_Three months since I had last seen any of them. Anybody, really._

_I've taken to a large, abandoned building somewhere in the state Indiana. Yeah, I've been travelling a lot. Non-stop, actually. Whenever I got the chance, I would fly, going at high speeds in the air. It felt great, really, when you rid the fact that if someone sees you you're dead. But on the good side, it cures my headaches, most of the time, and I think I've mastered this whole flying thing. It took me a while to figure out, but if I fly for a certain amount of time, it wears my body out, and if I continue to force myself to fly, my body shuts down on itself. _

_I wouldn't forget that one time I went spiraling to the ground after about an hour and a half of flying._

_Ouch._

_I timed myself flying and about how long it takes for me to wear out and I figured it was an hour. So every day, in the morning, I would begin flying for an hour, and then either walk of hitch hike. I preferred neither, really. Flying works for me, as I can soar high up in the air without any troubles. I'd feel so free. But on the ground, if I hitch hike, they'd ask me questions about my parents and stuff, and I barely get anywhere until I have to jump out of the car and run away so I won't get caught. And I can't even tell you about all of the creeps I meet all of the time, asking for something more, if you know what I mean, in exchange for a few miles. Disgusting. But walking on the side of the road isn't any better, really. Stupid people always holler out their windows at me like morons, or they just throw stuff at me, or the sappy people park their car in front of me and ask me about my parents…it's not fun._

_If I was a few years older, it'd be fine. There would be no questions. I can get away with looking sixteen, and sometimes seventeen, but some people claim that I still look like a ten year old._

_Ten. Are you fucking kidding me?_

_Anyways, for three whole months, I've been walking, flying, and hitch hiking the whole time, trying to get as far away from D.C. as possible. No, can't be anywhere near the Autobots, or Sam, or civilization in general. _

_For three whole months, I've been sleeping in the woods, drinking from rivers, and eating animals. I have tricks for those things, too, though. Like sleeping in my robot form so bugs and crap have no reason to go near me and crawl all over my ass and eat me. I don't really have anything for drinking from rivers, but sometimes I just go for rain water or beg people for water bottles and make them laugh. I kill small animals with my plasma cannon, aiming for the head and only the head. It helps with my aim, though it's quite disgusting and sad to see a cute, small animal's head being blown to literal bits. I skin the animals with my energon swords and don't even bother with any of the other parts. I just take some skin and run. It disgusts me too much. I usually just scorch the skin to a decent temperature and eat it, so I don't have to eat it raw. And sometimes I just beg people for food, too, but then run away before they call the police on me or whatever. _

_I stow away in the backs of trucks for long periods of times, too. But _never, ever _in any semi-trucks, GMC Topkicks, or any other form of vehicle the Autobots have been disguised as. It sends chills down my spine just seeing one of those vehicles pass by me and I hide about every time I see one. I know I must be paranoid or something, but it feels like they're deliberately trying to make me go insane or something here. It just creeps me out, as if they're going to transform at any moment and crush me underfoot._

_Once I've come across an abandoned warehouse, I walked inside, tested the foundation, and slept there for the night. I woke up and opened the backpack that someone gave me and ate a granola bar and scorched some meat and had a sip or two of water. I've been living there for about a week now, doing the same thing every day, just resting, but even that wasn't enough._

_I went back to stealing money from people, but not for the same reason as last time. Last time, I did it so I could conceal my identity and then kill a bunch of people. Last time, a person just willingly gave me the money, even if I had lied._

_But now? I steal money to get me another meal so I can get through the day. I go up to women with purses and run by them, snatching the purses, then quickly getting their wallets out and their money and throwing the rest on the ground. It's not like I don't feel sorry for the confusion and aggravation, it's just that I think I need their money a little more than them right now._

_After that, I usually go to this cool gas station in town, 'Gel's Gas,' where they ask you no questions. All you go in there for is gas or some food, but I always go for the food and water. They don't ask questions, and strangely they don't even have cameras. The cashier, Phil, is kind of cool, too. Sometimes he gives things to me for free, like gum or candy. We're acquainted like that, since I come in so often. I wonder if he thinks about how I'm living, or even who I am._

_I lie to people that ask me for my name. I tell them I'm a random name like Lucy, or Gill, or Ingrid, the like. When they ask for my last name, that's when I usually bolt. I get too scared for anything else. I even get scared for contact, too. Every second I feel like I'm being watched, and that the Autobots are already on their way to come get me. And by get me, I mean come to kill me. _

_My hair has grown out a little, about two inches or so, but that's not like it conceals me. And it's not like my face or clothes are different either. And I'm pretty sure I get smellier by the day. _That's _a given._

_Most of my time in the abandoned building I just take out my energon blades and slash at the walls, taking my anger out on them, imagining they were people or Autobots that I was killing. I'd never take out my plasma cannons on the walls again, they'd create too much damage and noise, and I'm too paranoid to even allow that._

_But other times in the warehouse I just cry. Cry about my situation. Cry for my mom and dad, and Sam. Cry that my side of the war lost, and that Megatron's dead. Cry for my soon death, and that I'm a wanted fugitive. I can never relax, can never lie down without always thinking about the fact that N.E.S.T. could burst into the building and destroy me. I can't sleep at night without awakening to nightmares of dying and never being able to see my family again._

_And speaking of sleeping, I can't. I can't sleep without ever seeing Megatron's face again. He's in my every dream. Either he's killing me, talking to me, or just sitting by my side, both of us silent in our thoughts. In every single dream I have, he makes a guest appearance._

_In the dreams where he's killing me, we're in a dark room with barely any light and he's telling me what a disappointment I am to the Cybertronian race, and as the AllSpark host I should do so much more, like create hatchlings and keep their race going. He'd tell me that he should have never recruited me as I stand there and take it all in. Then he stabs me through the heart, wailing for the AllSpark to be in his body as he could do so much for their race, but that's when I wake up, sweating and breathing hard, finding a sharp pain in my chest._

_In the dreams where we're talking we act as if we are old friends. No, we don't crack jokes and pat each other on the shoulder, but we just sit down and have nice conversations. He tells me about life on Cybertron-how it was-and about how he used to be. He tells me about his past friends and how other bots used to be, like how Starscream used to be a scientist or guard hatchlings. Everybody changed since the war, he says, and that he misses them. He misses Cybertron._

_I'd never expect him to come on out to me like that, telling me his emotions, as he is Megatron, but I guess he just cracked or something. He tells me everything, all that he's feeling, and his dreams. It's kind of creepy in a way, but I open up to him and allow him to vent to me. I rub his leg, trying to comfort him, and he brings me up to his chest where his spark warms me up and he tells me funny stories about the bots. He laughs in those dreams, too. It's a good sound, a sound I wish I could hear more often. _

_I vent to him too in those dreams, and he listens. When I yell out in anger, all he does is just hum his systems and stroke me with a claw, playing with my hair. And sometimes when I cry in those dreams, he hums his systems into a song and brings my close to his spark, warming me up, chirping to me to calm me down. The song is familiar, but I can never lay a finger on it. He gives me advice sometimes, like a father to a daughter, and I listen and actually sometimes take the advice._

_I love those dreams. When I awake I wipe the stray tears from my eyes and suddenly feel so warm and relaxed and happy. The scenery gets me, too. In those dreams, we can be in many happy places. We're either on a small island in the middle of nice, blue ocean waves with one palm tree he leans against, or on a grass hill looking up to the stars or the nice blue sky. He makes me laugh sometimes in those dreams, pointing out clouds that look like Earth creatures, commenting on how strange the coincidence is, or just plain making fun of the Earth creatures. It still makes me laugh. I hate to say goodbye in those dreams._

_But in some dreams with him we don't say a word to each other. We usually just sit on the moon, looking at the floating form of Earth in the distance, and don't say a word to each other. When I try to talk, no words can be formed on my lips, and I take it as a sign to not even try speaking. I never feel in the mood, really, to speak anyways. And when I look over at Megatron he's in a sitting position, knees up, cupping his hands around his knees and sitting with his back straight up, staring at Earth with a blank expression that never changes, nor does he ever move in that position. It creeps me out and annoys me that we don't do anything in that dream together, but I guess I'd take that dream any day than getting stabbed through the heart._

_I feel like I'm going insane. Maybe I am. Maybe I've always been._

_But then my dreams waver back to memories with my families. Happy memories. Of me doing normal things, maybe as a reminder that I was once normal and not insane. Memories of barbeques in the backyard, with Megatron standing by, watching down on us and my mom and dad and Sam spin me around in a circle and I watch my legs fly off the ground. It reminds me of being happy again, and how much I miss my family._

Cameron stops right there in her thoughts. No, she didn't want to think of her family. It always brings tears to her eyes that she'll most likely never see them again. What she wouldn't give to get just one kiss from her mom on the cheek, another hug from her dad, or just another talk with Sam.

She'd give the world for them. But what did she do?

She tried to destroy Earth with them still on it, knowing they'd be killed and being okay with it. Either that or they'd be enslaved.

What a good person she was, willingly okay with doing that to her family. No, her family didn't deserve her. They should just forget about her, erase her from their minds and get another daughter to replace her in the photos and memories together.

But then she stops thinking about it when tears run over the brims of her eyes. She wanted her family back more than anything in the world, and she totally fucked up the chance of that ever happening again.

Cameron sighed and looked out through a tiny whole in the wall. The sky was black, indicating night. She should probably get to sleep by now.

She rummaged through her backpack and came out with a bag of Lays chips and scarfed them down, then moved onto a strip of beef jerky and scarfed that down as well. She took out her water bottle and finished it the last inch of water there was, then threw all of her trash in the corner of the room where all of her trash went. The pile was building up, but it's not like she cared. Beats throwing it on the Earth all of the time, slowly killing it.

Taking a deep breath, she transformed into her robot form and lay down on the cold cement ground that she was so familiar with and closed her eyes, willing her to sleep. She shuffled on the ground, fidgeting and twitching, crunching up into a ball and uncrunching, before she finally told herself that if the Autobots couldn't find her here before, they couldn't find her now, and her eyes closed.

Her mind floated back to a memory of her family camping in the woods one night. She remembered the long drive to get there, he parents shouting in frustration the whole time, Sam's racist joke about a black guy who passed us, and setting up camp, to which no one was happy about. Luckily, Cameron had the brilliant idea of sticking the damn nails in the ground over the ends of the tent and putting a stick inside, in the middle, to hold it all up. The things she went through with her family…

They were currently laying outside on their sleeping bags, talking about space, but somehow her mom reverted the conversation to tampons and they were yelling. Cameron didn't really focus on what they were yelling about, her eyes locked onto a figure in the distance. Unbeknownst to them, she lifted herself up onto her feet and walked to the large, dark figure only a little bit away, looking down at them all.

As she walked closer, she found two blue dots looking down at her, trailing her every move, until she stood right before it. Even though this event took place before she met the Autobots, her mind automatically screamed _Optimus. _But as she went to go say his name, all that came out was, _"Megatron."_

The large, dark creature seemed to have nodded in the shadows as the scenery changed. They were still in the woods, but it seemed different-oaks took the place of evergreens, and it somehow seemed…brighter. Cameron looked up at the clearly lit Megatron as every sharp edge he used to have was curved, and human teeth took the place of his usual canines. Not to mention the optic color difference, Decepticon red to Autobot blue. Megatron was a brand new person.

He bent down and extended a hand to her, to which she obliged and leapt onto his palm. He put her on his shoulder and began walking through the forest, calmly pushing aside trees instead of knocking them down. "You have been troubled lately," he says, his voice a deep soothing one, much like Optimus'. But what he says isn't a question. Megatron always knows about her.

Cameron sighs and nods her head, falling into a silence. After a few moments, she speaks up. "It's my family…again."

Megatron's systems whir for a second, and then stop. "What keeps you from going back to them, then?"

Shocked, Cameron flinches. "Sorry?"

"What keeps you from going back to your family?" he calmly restates.

Her eyes narrow. "Megatron, you know I can't go back to them."

"What keeps you from going back to your family?"

Cameron pauses for a second. Obviously he glitched if he forgot the reason, but what's the harm in telling it again anyway? "I cannot go back because I have done horrible things. I have betrayed them, and my friends. And now-"

"What keeps you from going back to your family?"

Cameron clenches her hand into a fist. What was wrong with him? And if anything, why doesn't he let her just talk? "Because I'm a fugitive-"

"What keeps you from going back to your family?"

Cameron's eye twitched, but yet she still continued. "Because people want me dead-"

"What keeps you-"

"Because I'm going to die if I do! I just can't-"

"What keeps you from going back to your family?"

She opened her mouth to retort back to him but found no words came back. She paused, thinking for a moment. Why did he keep on asking her that question? Maybe because he knew the answer and was waiting for her to say it…or not to say it.

_What keeps me from going back to my family? _she asks herself, pausing for only a second. What was the correct answer to that question? _…absolutely nothing._

"You can do great things, Cameron," says Megatron, never halting in his march to wherever. "You are bound to do great things in the near future. You just need to open your mind to all the possibilities abound you, and _think."_

They were silent the rest of the walk, and in only a few minutes did they reach the destination. It was the abandoned warehouse that Cameron has currently made her home, if only temporarily. Megatron walked up to the whole in the wall that Cameron herself created with her plasma cannon and stopped at the entrance. From his height, you could clearly see Cameron, in her robot form, sleeping inside on the ground, half-curled up in a ball. Her body rose and fell in a steady pattern, her calm face towards them, and her hands underneath her head, cradling it.

It was odd, for Cameron, to see herself like this. Here she was, standing on Megatron's shoulder, looking through a hole in the wall at herself sleeping. She remembered putting herself in that position and falling asleep, and then the dream began, but how was it that she could just see herself outside of her own body like this, even if it was a dream?

Cameron, the real one, turned to Megatron for an explanation to find him staring at her, amusement in his blue optics. He reached up to her and held his palm out, using one of his flat-headed fingers to balance her as he placed her inside the warehouse through a hole in the wall. With a finger, he petted her head for a moment, purring his systems, and she closed her eyes, soaking it in, before he withdrew his hand. She opened her eyes and turned to him.

"You can do great things, Cameron Donna Witwicky," he said, his voice a rumbling thunder. "Don't let anyone tell you different. Don't let anyone get in your way. And never. Stop. Fighting." He gave one last smile before his body disintegrated into gold powder and fell on the forest ground, some carried away by the cold wind that bit into her skin teasingly. Cameron, shocked, had never seen this happen before and gasped, running to the edge of the building and reaching out, hoping for any remains that she could catch, but the gold powder did nothing but slip through her fingers.

A lost moan found her way out her throat and into the open air, echoing off the walls. She didn't sound like herself, nor did she act like herself either. Straightening her back, she took a deep breath and turned around, looking back at her sleeping robotic form. She walked over and touched it, finding herself in her human form, touching her robotic. It was quite weird, to say the least, so Cameron let go and stood back on her feet, looking down.

What was it that Megatron had said? Why did he sound so philosophical, and why did he say those things anyway? This wasn't like any other dream she's had before with Megtron, a short talk and walk and then bye-bye. No, this was something else, so what did Megatron have planned for her?

Tsking, she balled her hands into fists. _What's keeping you from going back to your family?_

…_absolutely nothing._

Was that what he wanted to hear her say, or did he want Cameron to hear her say that? Surely he didn't need convincing that nothing is standing in her way from going back to her family-he clearly implied that. So he wanted her to know that, that nothing is standing in her way from going back.

Nothing. In her way. Going back.

They just didn't seem to click together.

But, the more she said it, the more she felt her heart beat faster, her mind whirring with an idea, a dream. A dream to be reunited with her loved ones, to feel them again, to smell them.

_Nothing. In her way. Going back. Nothing. In her way. Going back. Nothing. In her way. Going back._

Slowly, she started to form the words so that they make more sense, her heart fluttering. _Nothing. In my way. Going back. Nothing. In my way. Going back._

Smiling, she felt a sudden power come over her again. Blue dots emanated from her flesh. The bright blue dots grew brighter, grew bigger, and conjoined on her skin, making her a bright blue form for a mere second, before lifting from her skin.

_Nothing. In my way. Going back._

The tiny, bright blue dots flew around in the air, flying in a sphere a foot away from Cameron's face. They appeared to dance with one another as happiness flooded Cameron.

_Nothing. In my way. Going back._

The bright blue dots came together slowly in a big sphere right above Cameron as she watched. They started humming a song, the same song that Megatron would always hum to her when she was sad as he played with her hair. It was so familiar, but she couldn't lay a finger on it. The sphere danced in front of her eyes, bringing a smile to her lips.

_Nothing. In my way. Going back._

The song grew louder as an image formed in the sphere. Slowly, it became more clear as the pixels came together and formed the right colors. It was a picture of her family, smiling together. Sam was all the way on the left, with her dad's hand on his shoulder, and he dad's arm around her mom's waist. Her mom's hand was on a shadow's shoulder, a clear form of a human, only all black and with no face.

_Nothing. In my way. Going back._

As the song grew louder, the dark image started to show some color, and before Cameron knew it, the dark figure was replaced by one of her, smiling along with the rest of her family, and she smiled along with it, feeling the sense of hope returning. Finally, she can do something with her life again. It was decided.

_Nothing. In my way. Going back._

_There is nothing in my way from going back._

Cameron gasped, jolting awake, her eyes quickly opening as she stood up. She brought a hand to her head as she felt a slight pain there, before it went away as quickly as it came. She looked around to find herself sitting on the floor with her legs out, light seeping in through the hole in the wall on her left. It was morning.

Cameron slowly stood up and shook her joints, feeling suddenly up and alive and well. She jumped up and down, excited for who knows what.

Oh yeah, the dream. She was going to see her family again.

But wait. She couldn't just up and go back to D.C., could she? Besides, she didn't know if they were still there, anyway. They'd have to be in Tranquility, though, right? Her mom and dad wouldn't-couldn't, really-move in just three months to D.C. Why would they? So they'd be in Tranquility.

But could she go straight to them? Could she walk up to them after all that she's done? What would she say? 'Oh hey, mom and dad. I know I tried to destroy you, along with the rest of Earth and all, but I'm back!' Yeah, no, that's not going to cut it. She was going to have to start small. She was going to have to start with someone that she truly trusted to keep this secret, and that would help her in this time of need.

Suddenly, her mind clicked with an answer.

She was going to see Tiara Smith.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: PLEASE DON'T KILL ME PLEASE! SORRY THIS TOOK OVER A MONTH TO DO, THE CHAPTER WOULDN'T WANT TO WRITE AND I'VE HAD A LOT OF TROUBLES LATELY! :'(<strong>

**Well, here it is, though. 9 pages on Microsoft Word, almost 10, but I wanted to get this out to you guys already, you know? Before you send a knife through my throat and stuff...**

**In other news...THE NEW SEASON OF TF:P IS SOOO AWESOME! IT WAS CORRECTLY LAID OUT AND THE PLOT WAS BRILLIANT! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT AND CANNOT STOP WATCHING IT! And that Starscream part was awesome, too. Who knew, you know? :D**

**But, anywho, did you like this chapter update? Again, sorry it took so long. But I still hope that you enjoyed it. Please review! XD**

**Okay alright bi ~ ;)**


	26. Tiara Smith

Chapter 26

In hindsight, this was going swimmingly.

Cameron stole and begged for enough money to get a few train tickets, and she put on her cutest face to get longer rides in strangers' cars. She flew for a few minutes longer each time. And all because she had something to look forward to. Tiara.

In about a week, Cameron went from Indiana to the edge of Illinois, and in another week she had made it to Kansas. That's when she met Ren, the trucker.

She had been walking along the side of the road after just have been flying for an hour and a half when honking caught her attention. She turned her head to find Optimus driving towards her. She gasped and blinked, but when she opened her eyes, she found it wasn't Optimus. It was the same semi-truck, but the blue was replaced by black, and the flames were still present. And Lennox wasn't in the driver's seat.

"Hey!" called the man. He had short black hair and was wearing a plain white tee, blue jeans, and black sneakers. He only looked about thirty. "Need a ride?"

Cameron stopped and waited as the man pulled over in front of her, before walking over to the driver's side. The man leaned out, smiling. "What's a little girl like you walking along the road alone like that?"

Cameron's face hardened, but she shrugged. "Well, ya know," she said, causing the man to chuckle.

"Get in, I'll take you anywhere."

Sighing, she moved around to the other side and stepped on the ladder, opened the door, and plopped down on the seat. She put her bad down by her feet and leaned back against the seat. It felt weird, but it was as if the seat started to contour to her body, her every curve, and warm up. She let out a long breath and relaxed her body to the seat.

The man chuckled beside her. "Like the truck?"

Cameron nodded. "Love it. But how does the seat do that?"

"This truck is meant to go cross country. If the seats hurt, I'd have to stop too much, right? So they redid the seats." The man held out his hand, to which Cameron took. "By the way, it's Ren."

"Cameron."

Ren pulled out from the side of the road and began driving again. "So, where are you headed?"

Cameron bit her lip. "California."

Ren's eyes lit up. "Aw, really? Me too! This shipment is going to Tranquility."

Cameron flinched. "Really? 'Cause…I'm going there, too."

Ren laughed. "Small world after all, right?"

"…yeah, I guess so."

Ren had decided to take her all the way to Tranquility. Along the way, they made stops at gas stations and McDonalds for food and bathroom breaks, Ren happily paying for Cameron. Cameron let him do all of this for her, because what choice did she really have? Ren slept at truck stops, but Cameron always slept in the cab, still cautious and fearful. I mean, what were the chances that they were _both _going to the same place at the same time?

They passed time by playing games when driving. Cameron taught him how to play license plate games, and when you spot a yellow buggie you hit the other on their shoulder. Ren naturally hit pretty hard, but he always looked as if he was trying to hide pain after hitting her. Maybe it was the metal. Ren told him about his job as a truck driver, and how he hated all those stereotype drivers, but he never asked about Cameron's life, which was perfectly fine with her. But most of the time they just let the radio play and occasionally bob their heads to the tunes. He only asked her once about 'those giant robot invaders' and 'the end of the world' and what she was doing then, because he was delivering a shipment when all that went down. Cameron was sure her heart beat two times faster when she confessed she didn't know anything about that, and to drop the subject, because she claimed it got her depressed to talk about the end of the world. Ren, thankfully, didn't question any further.

In two weeks tops-a lot more time spent with Ren than comfortable with Cameron-they had made it to California, and about a day or two later they made it to Tranquility.

"Hey, so, do you want me to drop you at your house, or…" asked Ren, trailing off.

Cameron shook her head. "No, thanks, I can walk. Nothing against you or anything, you seem like a good guy."

Ren smiled. "Alright, alright, I'll back off." He cocked an eyebrow. "Just be good, alright? No trouble."

Cameron nodded her head and smiled. "Alright." Tentatively, she held out her head and Ren slowly shook it. "Goodbye, Ren." Opening the door, she jumped out of the truck with her backpack, landing on the ground with a thump and closing the door behind her. She patted the truck three times to signal to Ren to drive off and he did so, honking the horn three times back to her. She watched him go until she could see him no more, then sighed in relief.

_Done and done with that, _she thought, tucking up the backpack to a more comfortable position and began her trek to Tiara's house.

Cameron has only walked to Tiara's house a handful of times, but somehow she remembered which turns to take, how many blocks to walk. And it was only in about ten minutes until she was standing in front of her house.

Cameron yelped and ran back behind a bush. Crap, she was almost caught! She had only a short glimpse at her old house and caught movement inside, a shadow behind a curtain. It had only been for a second, but Cameron recognized her mother's slightly-out-of-shape-frame. So they _didn't _move, and everything returned to normal. Did they even think about her? About the empty presence of her still-not-cleaned room? Then she shook her head. Better not to think of it. On both accounts.

Taking a deep breath, she positioned herself into a running position-knees bent, balanced on her toes-and took off running past the house and down another block. She only stopped when she almost ran into a mailbox from the momentum and looked behind her to see if anyone was following her. But what could they do, exactly? What would they do if they saw her running by their house? Probably shake their heads, thinking they'd seen a ghost. Because Cameron Donna Witwicky doesn't live here anymore. She doesn't exist. At least, not in their eyes, right?

Getting back to reality, Cameron continued walking. Tiara didn't live a far distance from Cameron-a mere walking distance-so she arrived there in minutes' time. She stood in front of that stupid yellow house of theirs-not very wide, but four stories high, if you count the attic-and walked up the few stairs to the door. Raising her hand, she formed it into a fist and banged on the door.

Tensing up, she heard footsteps in the house, second floor, pounding down the stairs. She knew it was Tiara immediately, hearing the loud _'boom' _as she jumped down the last three steps and hopped over to the door.

Cameron flinched as she heard her best friend unlock the door and gritted her teeth, willing herself not to run away. She never thought it could be this hard.

Suddenly, the door opened up to a grinning Tiara, whose smile instantly dropped upon seeing Cameron as the latter's heart dropped to the ground in shock. Tiara's happy eyes drew a frown as she looked Cameron up and down. A few seconds past-hours to Cameron-before Tiara spoke.

"_Cameron?"_

Cameron prepared herself for this, for the confrontation. She had a month to do so, carefully figuring out her speech to Tiara on how she failed as a human being to her own race. She memorized the five minute long speech in her head and went over it about as many times, but all that came out of her mouth was, "…hi."

Tiara's Point of View

I looked her up and down, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion and disappointment. This random stranger at my door made myself think of my best friend Cameron who I hadn't seen in months, and it pained me to think of her. Damn, I was so bored! Cameron would've suggested something awesome like running around in banana costumes from Party city and chucking them at people like Frisbees, but doing it by myself didn't seem right.

The girl in front of me had messy black hair that went up to her shoulders with some dirty blonde on top, like she dyed it. Her crazy blue-green eyes bore into my own, as if looking for the answers to the damn universe, and her clothes were all battered and torn and dirty. Was this some type of hobo or something?

I opened my mouth to tell her to go away when my mind suddenly clicked. This girl looked like Cameron, exactly like Cameron… _"Cameron?"_

The stranger's eye light up for a millisecond, then shown a look of horror. "…hi."

I gasped. Cameron! She's finally home! And she looks like shit! I ran the two feet separating us in one long stride and brought her into my arms, squeezing tight. I felt her flinch under the sudden contact, but then her arms immediately found each other around my back and squeezed. After a moment, I let go and held her at arm's length like a mother to a kid and laughed. "Oh my God Cameron! You're finally home! Where were you? What took so long? Are you okay? Can I get you something? Do you need help? Why do you look like shit?"

Cameron sighed and rolled her eyes, a small smile forming on her lips. "Okay, okay, enough with the questions. Please don't be too loud either." I opened my mouth to ask another bajillion questions but she cut me off with a shake of her head. "No, inside we talk. Your room, okay?"

I nodded. "But can I get you something-"

"No, just your room. But don't let your parents know. We _really _need to talk." Skeptical, I looked into Cameron's eyes and saw a seriousness in there that I had never seen before. I almost shivered at the intensity of her gaze, nervous about what we had to talk about, but was wise enough not to ask here and led her inside my house. Closing the door behind us, I found that she was already bounding up the stairs to my room and followed quickly suite.

When I entered my room, Cameron stood in front of my walls, staring at it with wide, sad eyes. Her eyes danced over the pictures of us laughing together on the walls, countless little strips of the pictures from those booths in the mall of us doing retarded faces. Her mouth started to quiver, her eyes started to water, before she blinked hard and looked away at me, motioning to close the door. I obeyed and walked over to her, but she held out her hand halfway.

"Don't," she said, her voice shaking, her control breaking. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. "Please, just stay right there…Tiara."

Terrified now, I stop walking, figuring it was the best thing to do than creating a worse situation by not doing what she asked. I watched her clench her hands into fists and grit her teeth, looking at the floor, willing herself not to cry before I opened her mouth to speak, choosing my words very carefully: "Cameron, you tell me what happened. Now." I forced my voice to remain calm and neutral and in control, because she clearly wasn't. She needed a voice of reason.

Cameron took a deep, deep breath and looked back at me, a small tear trailing down her face. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it, and opened it again. "You have to promise not to tell anyone," she whispered.

Being my smart ass self, I answered, "Did you kidnap the goddamn president or something, you dumbass?"

She smiled for a second and giggled. "No, you freaking idiot. But I'm serious. You are not to tell anyone, alright?" Once I nodded, she righted herself-stood a little straighter, chin held higher, eyes boring into my own. "Now whatever happens next, you must not freak out. I have no intentions to harm you, and I never will. _Do not draw attention. Do not freak out. Understood?" _I nodded again, biting my lip. What the hell was she up to?

Suddenly, she started to change.

I watched in horror and shock as the person who stood in front of me turned her flesh into metal slowly, her clothes disappearing. Metal took place of everything flesh as parts shifted into place. Her legs had been replaced with pointy, jagged metal, her waist with something that looked like regular underwear but with sharp edges that attached to her leg parts. Her stomach was flat and reflective, her chest being replaced with another layer of armor shaped to look a little like breasts. Her shoulders metal caps on them, her right having two thick spikes but her left having only one thicker spike, each at least five inches tall. Two thin but long wings protruded off her back, maybe each at least three feet long. Her arms were thick and rounded, an extra layer of metal on her elbow like an elbow guard. A sword-like object protruded from the side of her forearm, her fingers replaced by long and sharp claws. But the most notable change had to be her face.

Gone were Cameron's soft blue-green cat eyes, replaced by a vivid bright blue glow, emanating around her face. Four spikes were on top of her head-two tall ones more towards the back, two short ones more towards her face. Her ears were replaced with something that looked like headphones with two long antennae from the top of it. Her teeth became a little jagged, along with the rest of her facial features, and two thin eyebrows were placed above her eyes.

Her body was now a twisted, conjured figure of silver and black metal with dark gray wires here and there, some light blue glowing wires showing. The same light blue light from her eyes, which were staring right back at me with a scared expression.

I suddenly realized that my jaw had dropped and my eyes widened, so I fixed those and, for the sake of both of us, I smiled. "You're a robot! _You're a mother fucking robot! _Holy shit this is so fucking cool-" I stopped myself, realizing I was shouting, and lowered my voice. _"You have to tell me everything."_

Cameron nodded and transformed back to her human form, her clothes thankfully reappearing and her hair fell down to her shoulders as she sat on my bed and patted right next to her smiling, signaling that I should sit down next to her. "It's a long story," she explained, and I nodded, understanding, and sat down next to her.

She then told me everything, all the way back to the year of 2005. Of how she met the Autobots with Sam and Mikaela, Sam's ex-girlfriend, and how they met this organization called Sector Seven who hid the AllSpark and Megatron, the Decepticon Leader. Of how her great-great grandfather met Megatron and accidentally activated some sort of coordinates thing and had the coordinates of the cube imprinted on his glasses, which is why the Autobots had come the Earth in the first place. She told me of the Mission City battle, of how when Sam killed Megatron with the energy of the cube, it transferred itself into her body and she became the host of the AllSpark, given her new techno-organic nature. And then, years later, the Egypt battle. And, finally, the battle that had spread across the entire globe, but the core battle in Chicago. How she had teamed up with the Decepticons and how she treated the Autobots, and then finally ending with how she had been on the run for four months now.

I returned with some news of my own. The Autobots had been reportedly moved to a new secret base since their last on had been destroyed, and they are fully known to the world. Some people are still protesting their being here, but most are grateful of their presence. Megatron's body has been carefully taken apart and studied in a secret, highly protected facility somewhere unknown, along with Sentinel Prime's body, though his parts were kept together under Optimus Prime's orders. People are rebuilding Chicago, though they said it would take about ten years for it to be fully restored, and most of its residents-the small amount that had actually survived-had moved away.

At the end of all of the explanations, I looked at the clock and realized we had been talking for about four hours now. Our stomachs rumbled in sync and we laughed silently. I went to the kitchen and got us some popcorn, snacks, and a liter of soda up for us to eat, but she ate them all, so I had to go get something else for me to eat, which she ate most of anyways. Not like I cared-she didn't have much to eat the past four months anyway. She needed this.

The next hour spent was her bawling her eyes out-thank God my parents had left earlier-about how much of a terrible person she is for doing that to Earth, to us. For turning on her friends and family. She used up all of my tissues and my trash was overflowed. She kept on telling me what I horrible person she was, but I tried to counter and calm her down by telling her that it's fine and all is forgiven and that she needed to let bygones be bygones.

After a few moments of silence, Cameron finally asked, "Well, what do I do now?"

"Well, that's kinda obvious," I told her. "You go to the Autobots."

Cameron flinched and then laughed. "They'd kill me before I got into a mile radius of their base, wherever that is!"

"Well, didn't you say there were energon detectors everywhere now?" She nodded. "You have energon now, dumbass. You'd be tracked. They'd go after you."

"Like that's helpful," she snorted. "Like I just said, they'd kill me! I'm no different than any other Decepticon freak."

"You're _ not _a freak, and you're _not _a Decepticon." I shook my head. "Cameron, what other choice do you have? Run away from them forever? I can probably keep you a secret for a mere month, no longer. They'd find you wherever you go. You're not safe anywhere. You're only choice is to go to the Autobots and tell them that you've changed."

"But _that's just it,"_ she told me. "I don't think I've really changed at all."

I smiled. "You'd be surprised."

"But-"

"You helped them numerous times, and you made one little goof. It's not like they're going to forget all those times you've helped because of that. They'd forgive you. You were under the power of the AllSpark. It's fine."

A few moments passed before Cameron sighed again and smiled, nodding her head. "Yeah. Alright, fine. I…I guess I have no other choice." She paused, and her smile widened as she announced, "Tomorrow, I'm going to get the attention of the Autobots."

I nodded. "Good girl. Now, can I ask you a question…?"

She tilted her head. "Yes, of course, Tiara. What is it?"

"Ugh…it's just that…where do your clothes go when you transform?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Okay hey guys! sorry for the recent long ass updates again, but now there must be what? Two chapters left? And then onto the sequel! *squeals* I hope you're ready for it, but there will be more descriptions of it in the last chapter of this story (two chapters away).<strong>

**But thank you for sticking with me! I'm so thankful for all of you and your reviews, keeping me with some faith that someone actually likes this story. **

**Is it weird to say that I'm getting excited that this is over in two chapters? Because I just can't wait for the sequel. ^o^**

**Oh and a shoutout to _Rockubyebaby, _I hope I used your 'OC' to your liking. I just imagined her as a smartass, cocky (the good ways) person who makes a great friend, especially to Cameron. You'll be seeing more of her as of late.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I just couldn't get around to how to describe how Cameron looked like, it was really irritating. Plus with all of the things going on as of late...and if you want to know more of what Cameron looks like, I kind of went by the design of Sari Sumdac from Transformers Animated, so you can look that up if you like.**

**Please review! It makes me all happy inside when you do. ;) And I ABSOLUTELY PROMISE that the next chapter will be out by next week, and a maximum of two weeks, but most likely not two weeks, don't worry. XD**

**Okay alright bi ~ ;)**


	27. Her Return

Chapter 27

A ringing sounded, in a constant rhythm.

_BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP._

Cameron's eyes slowly opened, suddenly awaked by that noise, but yet she saw nothing. The beeping continued, gradually reaching a higher pitch with each passing second. Cameron saw only black, decorated with blinking white dots everywhere. A sudden anxiety filled her spark, threatening to take over, to make her scream. It tore up her chest, making her blood run faster, as if they were racing against a clock.

She gasped as she tried to blink, but her body wouldn't let her. They forced her eyes open to see as the image started to become more clear to her.

She was on the moon. Again. All alone. The famous half-image of Earth appeared in front of her as blackness shrouded every other part of her.

Footsteps to her right made her go stiff, but then she relaxed as the familiar metal foot of Megatron appeared next to her. A sudden ease went through her body but her muscles were still tense. She arched her neck and looked up at Megatron, who looked back down at her with his red eyes. She smiled at him, but he showed a look of pure anger and hatred on his face, wiping clean her smile.

"_Look," _he commanded, but yet his mouth did not move. Cameron blinked in confusion, finally being able to, but Megatron repeated the command, this time in a more urgent tone of voice. "Look, I say. Look around you. What do you see?"

_What do I see? _she asked herself, giving a quick look around her, confirming her beliefs. "We're on the moon again, Megatron, nothing new. All we see is Earth. Earth is always there."

Megatron growled and lunged at her with his claw, to which she barely just dodged, doing a backflip to get out of the way, but the tip of his finger caught her forearm to form a small cut. She clutched it as she looked back up at him. "No, look!" he yelled, desperation in his voice. "You must look around you! You must see! What do you see? Why can you not see? You are so stupid! Ignorant, useless! An atrocity! Oh, why did I ever pick you?" His voice softened as he stood back a few feet, his shoulders hunched, a look of sadness and defeat on his faceplates. "Why did I ever pick you?" he whispered. "Why was I so foolish?"

Unclear of who he was talking to, Cameron cleared her voice, trying to make it as tough as possible, but it was hard when her blood was dripping from her, leaving her body and flowing in space all around her. "Megatron, what is your malfunction?"

He looked back at her and after a few moments, he smiled. "That's why I picked you," he said in a quiet, no longer harsh voice, like a mother to her child. "Thank you…for reminding me."

The world flashed white around her and suddenly Tiara was shaking her awake. "Come on, you lazy butt, you've been asleep for eleven hours!"

Cameron groaned. "Eleven hours? Why not twelve?"

Tiara chuckled. "My parents came in just now, telling me that they're leaving for work, and I had to hide you under the covers. But it didn't help when you were thrashing in your sleep! What did you dream of?"

Cameron bit her lip, remembering that she had not yet told Tiara about her dreams of Megatron. After a second thought, she decided against it. "I don't remember," she shrugged, lying.

Tiara tsked and got off the bed. "I'm going downstairs to make us a jumbo breakfast. You go shower, you smell like shit. Borrow my clothes if you need to." Cameron nodded as Tiara left the room.

Cameron flicked the warm covers off of her, letting the cold air wasp in and bite her skin as she stretched and cracked her back, but a sudden sting on her right arm caught her attention. Hissing, she brought her arm up to her face.

There, on her forearm, was Megatron's scratch from the dream.

* * *

><p>After Cameron took a half hour long shower, scrubbing her hair and watching some black dye come off, she grabbed Tiara's long black sleeved plain shirt to hide the five inch long scratch mark, blue jeans that just fit her, and her shoes, brushed her hair, and went downstairs.<p>

Tiara sat in the living room, leaning casually back on the couch sporting a tight gray Tee that had the name of some band on it with black tights and black buckled boots. Her clunky boots lay on a table adorned with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, popcorn, and a few snacks. Cameron walked over and sat next to Tiara as she flipped through channels on her TV. The eggs were in a bowl, the bacon and sausage piled up like pyramid on a plate, the popcorn still in its bag, and the snacks practically thrown on the table.

"Gosh!" Cameron yelled, just barely grabbing Tiara's attention, her gaze still fixated on the TV. "You said you were making us breakfast!"

"I did," Tiara smiled, pointing with her chin to the table.

Cameron shook her head. "You just threw a bunch of food together, idiot. That's not breakfast." Tiara merely shrugged and Cameron sighed, defeated, grabbed a handful of popcorn and began eating. Was it possible to crave an apple?

After a half an hour of this, Tiara clicked off the TV just as the coyote was about to catch the roadrunner. "What the hell!" yelled Cameron. "He was gonna catch it!"

Tiara snorted. "He never catches it." Then she cocked a smile. "Besides, it's time to go, Cameron."

Cameron crunched up the popcorn she had in her hand and threw it on the ground. Taking a deep breath, she nodded to no one and got up, walking over to the door. When she looked back, Tiara was standing right behind her.

"Go get 'em, Cyborg," she said with a smile, using her new nickname on Cameron.

"So, I just walk up to an energon detector and do a little dance?" asked Cameron, like a smartass. "Sounds like an okay plan to me."

Tiara chuckled and punched Cameron in the shoulder, though she cringed and drew her hand back to her chest, clutching it in pain. "Metal," she hissed, then straightened up and took a deep breath. "Good luck, Cameron." Tiara walked around and opened the door, gesturing her friend out. "The world is waiting to see Cameron Donna Witwicky again."

Nodding, Cameron walked out and down the steps, turning back only once and transforming her right hand into her robotic claw, waving goodbye to Tiara. "I'll see you again," she exclaimed, before turning and running to the center of town.

* * *

><p>Only a few days after the events in Chicago died down, the government had passed a law that an energon detector was to be placed in every single town center, and maybe one or two more in the major cities. It obviously was a nice, yet paranoid, act of security on the nation, but is was also an act of favorites. For example, there were about five energon detectors in Tranquility, California-Tiara had counted them all-because the Witwickys live there. There were about twenty in New York City alone. But places such as Connecticut only got one in each town center, because of the lesser people living there and its popularity.<p>

It was the only time that the government had actually printed extra money and hired more workers to get the job done. People came in by the thousands for the jobs, and they had about a million energon detectors done in two weeks tops. It only took a two weeks extra to place them up in the towns. It was a small job for America, but it gave some families money that they didn't have.

Cameron had ran all of the way to the center of town-which in itself wasn't so far away from Tiara's house to begin with-and stopped to look around. It only took Cameron about a minute to locate the energon detector because she was bron and raised in this town, and even the smallest improvement or added prop could catch her eye almost immediately.

The detector was about two feet tall and wide, hanging on a light post about seven feet in the air. Blue veins ran through it, visible as it moved back and forth. Cameron walked up to it, oblivious of the people walking by her and giving her strange looks. She had wondered earlier if they would recognize her from TV-if there was some sort of bounty on her head that went public-but no one pulled out their phones or knives at her, so she suspected N.E.S.T. had kept her a secret.

She gazed up at the contraption, watching it move back and forth, to and fro, like a snake. Suddenly, once it turned to her, it twitched and something moved inside of it. Cameron got the strange feeling that she was being photographed when the thing began to move again, acting as if it had never seen her. But Cameron knew better.

It had just sent a message to N.E.S.T. A Cybertronian was here.

Smiling, Cameron looked to her left. Her town's old Burger Kind sat there, with its waiting area outside, the lone four tables with umbrellas bare. Shrugging, Cameron took a seat at one of the closest tables and got herself comfortable. This was going to take a while.

Still smiling, Cameron whispered, "Come and find me."

* * *

><p>Today had been a slow day at N.E.S.T.<p>

In the past three months, they had about six Decepticon encounters, more than they had ever had in a year before. Everyone was up and about at N.E.S.T., even the humans. But today?

In the last three weeks, they had had nothing. Everyone was getting bored again, for waiting was never a thing that anyone was good at here.

Save for Optimus. That guy was the most patient person in the universe.

But that's probably because so many things must be going on in his mind, keeping him occupied.

Decapitating Megatron. Destroying his former mentor and Prime. The destruction of his home planet. The deaths of Ironhide and Wheeljack, two of his oldest friends. This all must be circulating in his thoughts, along with the estimate of the remaining Decepticons still on Earth.

It seems the fight never ends.

A loud beeping noise emanated from one of the computers, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. A man wheeled over and pressed some buttons, showing the image of Earth, slowly zooming in on one particular area: Tranquility, California, U.S.A.

"Sir," the man said. "A Cybertronian was spotted in Tranquility, California, proximately two minutes ago."

A man with a short brown hair cut and brown eyes stalked up to the computer and soaked it all in. His nametag read LENNOX and seemed to ooze authority and greatness. A human version of Optimus Prime, some say. "All right, men, Autobots," he loudly stated. "Pack up. Time to go back to where this all started."

* * *

><p>Cameron's foot had been tapping for the past two hours out of boredom. For the first half hour, she imagined what she was going to do and say to them to get them to believe that they were now on the same side. She had had a speech calculated and memorized by then, and an ETA of four hours that they would arrive.<p>

She had promised herself to be patient, but found herself pacing around the small courtyard that Burger King had offered. One of its employees had already asked her if she needed any help, but Cameron had refused, telling the employee that she was waiting for a special group of people. Confused, the employee had smiled and told her to wait as long as she wanted and if there was anything that she could help Cameron with.

What bullshit.

The next hour had gone by watching people and eavesdropping on their conversations to pick up any gossip since Cameron's departure about a year ago. She wasn't much of a gossiper, but she had already planned to tell Tiara some of the things she's heard.

Cameron was well into the fourth hour of waiting and her eyes had already explored every part of the courtyard and her ears had heard enough gossip to make her brain pound. She was fidgeting on her seat, and elbow propped up on the table and her chin resting on her hand, her other hand playing with a bug on the table when she heard it.

Small little shouts of fear from inexperienced owners as people scrambled to get up and leave. People in black body suits moved in, running around, ushering people to leave the premises immediately. Through her slightly advanced hearing, she heard one of them mumble into a communicator: "It's that Witwicky girl." Smiling, she stood up as a bunch of people in armored suits surrounded her, pointing their weapons at her. They cleared the people out fast, as the only living souls within a mile radius were Cameron and the men in black.

"Surrender!" one of them with a star on their chest shouted, twitching his gun in her direction.

"Where's Lennox?" she asked innocently, still smiling. The speech was mostly for him. She still didn't fully trust the Prime.

A small silence fell over the group of soldiers as a vehicle came speeding up to their left. Cameron turned, spotting Bumblebee in vehicle form coming to a speedy halt nearest her. He opened his door hurriedly as Colonel William Lennox stepped out in a black suit from head to toe, a rather large rifle strapped around his shoulders, hanging off his body like a harmless ornament. It completed with his pissed off look he gave Cameron.

"Cameron," he boomed, his voice loud and low, concerned yet wise-just like Optimus. "Stop this immediately."

"Stop what?" Cameron asked. "I was just sitting here in Burger King, thinking to have a burger, and these people come here and point big guns at me."

"Cameron, this isn't the time for games anymore," Colonel Lennox sighed, shaking his head.

Ignoring him, Cameron turned her head to Bumblebee, still waiting patiently in vehicle mode even though he just wanted to transform and talk to Cameron. Clicking her tongue, Cameron addressed him: "Why don't you transform, Bee? Waiting for a _human _to tell you you _can?"_

Bumblebee took that as his cue and transformed into bipedal mode, leaning down on one knee facing Cameron. His face shown a look of sympathy and concern, but also longing, surprising Cameron. "Good to see you again…Cameron," he said, using his radio.

"What? Ratchet still too busy to fix your goddamned voice?" she yelled, irritated for Bumblebee. And in a lower tone she added, "Does he even care anymore…?"

"Why did you call us here, Cameron?" interrupted Lennox, eager to get to the point.

Cameron turned back to him. "Oh, I just wanted to talk. It's gotten lonely, just being with myself all of the time, running from you…"

"Talk about what, Cameron?" he prodded.

Cameron kept her mouth shut for a moment, thinking, surveying over Lennox and his squad. When she opened her mouth to speak again, she was blown to her left by a tremendous force. Shocked faces turned to see Roadbuster smiling at his hit, Leadfoot and Topspin transforming behind him. Bee whirled in anger at them, but was distracted at Optimus Prime driving in behind them.

Gasping, Cameron opened her eyes and opened herself up to the pain. She felt like she's been hit by a truck. Was Optimus here?

Groaning in pain, she made herself sit up on the ground and assess her damage. From the right side of her waist to her face has been turned back to metal, and the metal dented. She suspected that this was the side she was blasted as she looked down on her left side to confirm, seeing scratch marks, the places turned to metal.

Spitting on the ground, she made herself stand on her feet and turned her head to the blast, spitting out obscenities. She looked over and saw Bumblebee clicking and whirring-probably speaking Cybertronian-at the group of Wreckers, Roadbuster being in the middle. _He must've been the one who shot it, _she thought grimly, smiling a half smile as Bee smacked him on his helm and Roabuster pushed him away.

Her smile faded, though, as her eyes caught sight of Optimus Prime in vehicle mode driving straight at them. He transformed into bipedal mode behind the Wreckers and Bee, his eyes not on the small fight between Roadbuster and Bee, but on Cameron, his battle mask drawn into place.

His eyes captivated her for a moment, rooting her to the ground, before she regained her senses and completely transformed to her robot form and took off into the air, flying away as fast as she could go.

"Ay!" called Leadfoot. "She's gettin' away!"

Roadbuster looked up and, seeing his target fleeing, pushed Bumblebee to the ground, nearly crushing some of the humans, and transformed after her, his posse-including Optimus-on suite.

The soldiers gathered around Bee helpless, watching the chase from a distance.

Roadbuster transformed into stealth mode, firing his machine gun upon Cameron's fleeting form, beckoning Leadfoot and Topspin to do the same. Cameron tried dodging the bullets, occasionally doing a 360 in the air and blasting them with her plasma cannon, but, in the end, it was useless.

A blast from Topspin's launcher caught on one of her wings, causing her to spiral into the side of a building and bounce off of it, landing into the pavement. Happy shouts came from the Wreckers at the small crater that Cameron made as they came to a stop in a circle around in and transforming, effectively trapping her.

Cameron, for her part, was morally damaged. From that first blast, the bullets raining down on her, and that last blast that had sent her into a building, she couldn't get up. Small bits of her armor had come off, littering the streets, an energon vein or two split, dents and scratches everywhere on her body. She opened her fuzzy optics, ignoring the annoying HUD signals, trying to focus on the area around her. She saw the gleeful faces of those three damned Wreckers around her in a circle, two of them high fiving, but where was Optimus? Where was Bee and Lennox and his soldiers? And to think she had a speech all planned out…

Loud footsteps reached Cameron's audio receptors and she painfully turned her head slightly to the right at the sound. Optimus Prime's bright blue optics looked down on her, his battle mask no longer drawn into place. He still hadn't said a word, which creeped Cameron out. Never mind the fact that Optimus' was the one face in the world that Cameron could not read. He could be feeling anything right now-be it pity or happiness, not that she needed anyone's pity-or thinking anything and she wouldn't even know it.

Not like she had much time to think. A large, red message popped up on her HUD, flashing, warning her that she was going into emergency stasis. She felt her systems slowly off lining as she became more worried. Optimus was saying something, but she couldn't hear it, being her audio receptors turned themselves off. The Prime kneeled down, getting a closer look at her as Bumblebee's face went into her line of vision, as well as the many faces of the humans. Lennox turned and said something to Optimus, a question she could barely make out, but guessed "Should we help her?"

And the last thing Cameron saw was Optimus Prime shaking his head no.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey guys! I hope you like this chapter, because I didn't really. I mean, I enjoyed writing it, I just don't think I did too good a job on this...<strong>

** Yes, you're going to see more of Tiara later on**. **Yes, Roadbuster is a bitch, but I made him and the Wreckers as kind of a bitchy bunch. I mean, they were in the movie, right? But really, I just see them as a bunch of jokesters who are really protective of their friends, and seeing as Cameron was just another Decepticon taking part in the battle at Chicago, they decided to have a little...fun.**

**Next chapter is going to be the last for this story, and then onto the sequel! *cheers***

**Oh, and to whoever was wondering where exactly Cameron's clothes go when she transforms...they are subspaced. And since her transformation from her robot form to her human form is just a backwards/mirror image of her transforming into her robot form, her clothes go back on her body just the way they were taken off and subspaced. Does that make sense? I hope it does...**

**I REALLY hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, because I love giving people what they want. XD Please review and criticize! I 3 criticism! XP**

**Oh and to _Rockubyebaby _again, I hope I got your character alright. ;)**

**Okay alright bi ~ ;)**


	28. Last Decisions

Chapter 28

Cameron opened her eyes and found herself laying on the ground in the middle of nowhere. Everything was black as far as her optics could see. Yes, she was in her robot form, she noticed, as she clicked her claws together, but she still had no idea where she was.

Suddenly, she noticed a flying, blue orb that materialized in front of her, about the size of her head. It provided the only light inside this hell she had stumbled into.

"Oh, I get it," she announced, chuckling. "I'm in another dream, aren't I?" She looked at the blue orb, her eyes narrowing. "And you're some other form of Megatron, aren't you? Come here to finish me off like in those dark dreams earlier?"

The blue orb said nothing, rather just floated there and watched upon her.

"Well, aren't you going to say something, Megatron?" she asked, standing up and taking a step forward. "How pathetic and useless I am as the AllSpark host? How you could've done so much better?" Cameron's eyes narrowed even more as she raised her voice at the blue orb that never left its spot. "Well! What are you waiting for! A fucking invitation to promise my slow and painful death!"

For a few moments, the orb did nothing. But then, suddenly, it flinched and began to move backward, away from Cameron. She titled her head slightly, watching it back away with curiosity, before she felt it.

A hammer to her spark. That's what it felt like. She screamed and went down to her knees, clutching her chest-as if that helped. The air became cold around her, seemingly biting at her metal skin, as the pain in her chest grew. She felt as if her chest were being grinded and churned into powder. Like a virus, the pain quickly spread across the rest of her body. In no time, her arms felt like they were being ripped from their sockets, her throat was on fire and felt as if she were being choked to death, and her spine felt as if a lumberjack was chopping down a tree.

She cried out in pain, falling to the ground and curling in on herself, trying to stop the pain. But whatever she did, it still spread like a wildfire. She barely noticed the tears crawling down her cheeks, but when she did, she dared to look down. Slowly, her body was reverting back to her human form. Her skin was torn and shredded, and she could see her bone on her legs. Looking up, she found the orb still slowly backing away from her.

In some universe, it made sense that the orb was inflicting this pain upon her. In a fit of desperation and the fear of actual death, she called out to it. "Wait! No! Stop!"

The orb didn't stop, but rather it slowed down a bit, wanting to hear more calls for mercy.

"Please, stop! I-I'm sorry, whatever I did to royally piss you off, I'm sorry!" She watched the orb slow even more until it came to a complete stop. She took this as an opportunity to continue. "I'm sorry. M-Megatron? If that's you, I'm sorry. I _am _pathetic. I can't think straight. I should've done more to help…I mean, I had the power to, just not the will…And look at me now. Groveling on my hands and knees, begging for your forgiveness…When did I become Starscream?" Cameron spit out blood-red, human blood, but with a hint of bright blue energon. Was it working?

"I know you won't want to believe me, thinking I'm just saying sorry so you can stop this pain and I can get my powerful side back…you know, maybe I am. But, I do realize that I could have done more, and that I've made many mistakes. That counts as something, right?"

Cameron sucked in a breath at how weak she sounded, at how her voice went up at the end of her questions like a hurt puppy as she looked up at the blue orb-be it Megatron or not-with desperate eyes, silently pleading for this pain to stop.

After a few moments that seemed to last forever as Cameron bit her lip from the pain, the orb flinched and began to move again. This time, thankfully, in her direction. And as it neared, Cameron felt some of the pain lift from her shoulders. She breathed in a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, feeling herself reverting back to her robot form.

But when she opened her eyes, she found herself in a very different environment.

Indeed it was all a dream, but it felt so very real to her. She looked around-she was in some sort of hospital room. Medicinal cabinets lined the walls on one side with a table filled with piles of papers, while some high-tech machines lined the other. And speaking of high-tech machines, she was hooked up to at least six of them, wires going into her robotic arms here and there, random things connected to her head. Lines appeared on the machines, and one with the patterns of beeps, giving her the notion that they were monitoring her heartbeat.

But why were they monitoring her heartbeat?

Because they want her alive.

Pure fear shot through her spark at the thought. There she lay on the pavement, already dying, and they fix her up. Why? She was the enemy? What could they possibly want from her? Do they actually believe that she has the intelligence that they're looking for? What would they be looking for?

Or…do they just want her alive to torture her to death? For all she's done to the Autobots and humanity?

_No! _screamed something in her. _They don't want that. Not the Autobots. _But with the memory of Optimus Prime ripping the face off of the Fallen before ripping out his spark, her predicament didn't seem so good.

Cameron made a move to get up but found herself restricted. Her wrists, ankles, and waist were being held down by a thick metal, making her-even with her slightly advanced strength-beaten. The thought of not even being able to move sent her into a frenzy. She clenched her fists and repeatedly pulled up, trying to detach the metal from the gurney she was laying on, but with no success. She tried to scream but found herself gagged. Why was she gagged? So no one-if anyone-could come to her rescue from her screaming cries of mercy.

She screamed into the gag and pulled up again, adrenaline helping her trying to dislodge the metal cuffs. She heard metal creaking amidst her screaming as she was succeeding, but then the sight of something moving caught her attention. Looking to her right, she saw a bright pink-ish yellow-ish liquid rushing through a tube connected to her arm from a large container. Two and two clicking together, she realized her captor's intention and struggled even more. But her attempts seemed foolish as the liquid hit her energon lines and she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>When Cameron woke up again, things had changed.<p>

That desk was no longer filled to the top with disorganized papers, but rather neatly stacked and possibly with less papers than before. One more machine had been added, along with two more wires-one to her brain, and another to her chest. It beeped with a light blue line alongside the heartbeat one, but this new one had a container of blue liquid in it, occasionally feeding it to her body. And what Cameron hated more than being strapped to a random gurney was being injected with things that she didn't know in a foreign place.

The metal cuffs had been reinforced with two bigger, stronger nails bolting it to the table, and a thinner metal strap went over her chest, secured on both sides by smaller nails.

So they noticed her struggling and strapped her up some more. How long had she been out? Apparently enough to need some energon ingested in her system, and for them to organize some papers.

A little more energon ran through the wires and into her energon veins as a machine clicked and released more of that sleeper liquid. As soon as the sleeper liquid was in her system once again, her eyes closed and her body forced a shutdown.

* * *

><p>"Cameron."<p>

She blinked, but said nothing.

"Cameron, do you know why you're here?"

_Of course, _she wanted to say. _You're going to pretend to keep me alive, and then kill me._

"Cameron, why don't you answer me?"

They were in a perfectly square room with thick metal walls, only one side covered with reinforced glass. The only way you could hear or see anything was through that glass, and specialists, including Lennox and possibly Epps, were on the other side of it. Cameras lined the corners of each wall, like giant bugs watching you. Right next to the glass window stood a meta door, probably six inches thick, with an entirety of locks so complex it made her head hurt. Cameron sat down on a hard metal chair in her human form, her wrists and ankles chained to a plate that was yet again nailed into the ground. She had this sick feeling that they made this room and that gurney specifically for her. In front of her was a tiny, perfectly square metal table, and on the other side of that table sat a man, probably in his forties, with a clipboard, rounded spectacles, and a brown suit.

"I'm not a talking person." Those words came out of her mouth without her knowing.

"Oh?" went the man, fixing his glasses. "Reports say that you made yourself visible to the world to have a talk with Colonel William Lennox. Isn't that true?" The man spoke in a slow, sweet voice, as if talking to an uneducated puppy.

The only answer that came from Cameron was silence. Then, "Where is he? Lennox? Right behind that window?" she asked, pointing to the large glass.

The man with the spectacles and clipboard looked behind him innocently, and turned back to Cameron with an expression adorned as if he saw the glass for the first time in his life. With his eyebrows raised, he said, "He may or not be, Cameron. But it'd be best if we not skip questions during this…" he trailed off.

"Interview?" she asked, coming up with the fake name for him.

Forehead wrinkles evident, he made the slightest of nods. "Okay, questions one: _do you know why you are here?" _Cameron shook her head no and he made a small note. "Okay, do you have any clue as to why you are here?"

"You're going to ask me some questions about the Decepticons, and then kill me," she answered without hesitation.

The man chuckled and readjusted his glasses. "Oh, no, Cameron, we aren't going to kill you. I don't know where you'd get such a silly idea as that."

This didn't reassure her one bit.

"But," he went on, "you are here to answer some questions."

"What if I have questions of my own?" she snapped.

The man seemed to consider this for a moment, before answering, "Maybe. Now, question number two: you made yourself visible to the world again to speak with Colonel Lennox. Why?"

"I…needed to clear some things up with him…"

"Like what?" the man persisted.

"I…I just didn't want to be on the run anymore. I don't like being a fugitive." _Why am I telling this man all of this? What does he have to do with any of this? Why won't Lennox speak with me?_

"Uh huh," the man mumbled, scribbling down some random notes. "Okay, question number three-"

"How many questions do you have?" Cameron suddenly blurted out angrily.

The man flinched, but regained his composure and stated in a low tone, "There's five questions in total. Patience, Cameron." Cameron inhaled sharply through her nostrils, but let him continue. "Now, question number three: what did you do during the three months you were a…fugitive, as you put it."

"Well, what do you think?" she snapped, the metal restraints clinking against the metal chair as Cameron lurched forward, making the man flinch backwards. "I tried my best to stay alive as it is. I stole money, killed wild animals in the woods, and lived in a warehouse. It was hard, and I was alone…" Cameron found herself choking on her words, and fixed that as she said, "But I did it. I stayed alive with no help and a bounty on my head."

"Oh, Cameron," said the man, leaning forward himself. "There was no bounty-"

"_Next. Question," _she spit with venom.

Clearing his throat very loudly, he wrote a few things down on his clipboard, and a few minutes later, he continued. "Sit back in your chair, honey, you don't want any cuts in your skin." Cameron growled at the use of the word 'honey,' but complied. "Good girl. Now, question four: What do you know of the Decepticons as of this moment?"

Cameron chuckled at the question, looking down. "Oh, how did I know this was coming?" she asked silently, smiling. Then her smile faded like the switch of a knife as she realized she didn't know the answer to that question. There was that moment with Megatron when he explained the plan for her, telling her all about the space bridge and Sentinel Prime. They talked about what would happen if they won, about how all humans would become slaves to rebuild Cybertron and then, in the end, be slaughtered. Megatron even told her that he may leave Earth alone after the final slaughter of humankind, but know that she thinks back on it, she figured that he was lying.

They had talked about all of that, she had figured, over the days that she had lived with him. He had told her about the plan if they won. If they won. But they hadn't. He never mentioned to her about a backup plan if they had failed the takeover, about another tactic they'd try, or a place to meet up when things all went to hell. He never mentioned any of the sort to her.

And that's when she realized that Megatron hadn't intended to fail or leave any room for anger. He hadn't intended for the Autobots to win. And surely he knew they'd stand a chance at winning, but he hadn't cared.

Was that his final plan? Had Megatron given up?

"Cameron?" the man asked, bringing her back to reality and making her snap her head up. "Something on your mind?"

"Megatron," she said. "He…he never…mentioned of any sort of back-up plan to me. I guess…he never intended to lose."

"Well, he did," the man answered sharply. "And he has lost many times before. He has _died _before. Surely, an ancient…war lord like Megatron, with all of his millennia of experience, knew his chances of winning were somewhat minimal. And with that, there'd be a back-up plan."

"Well, maybe he wanted to die this time!" she blurted out, wriggling in her restraints. "Maybe he wanted to go out with a bang! It's fucking _Megatron_ here!"

"But he didn't tell you anything? Anything that could've given you a clue as to a Decepticon that would take over in his place if he died?"

Cameron shook her head. "That'd be left to a SIC, and Starscream was a treacherous dumbass. Even with his cowardliness his death would be certain!"

"But you can't think of anything, anyone else-"

"_NO!" _Cameron shouted, transforming back to her robot form in rage. "That's it! S'all I know, for fuck sake. Think Megatron would tell _me _anything? I was just some foot soldier out to do his dirty work for him that he was too lazy to assign to anyone else! It'd be fine if I died, because the AllSpark could just go into him! I was nothing to the cause. Don't you get it? I wouldn't have been able to take down one Autobot!"

"Alright, Cameron, at ease," said the man, holding up his hands in surrender. "Calm down. I get it."

"No, you don't get it." She sighed. "No one gets it. Not even my own brother…"

After a slight pause, the man cleared his throat awkwardly again, not even bothering to write on the clipboard. Cameron transformed slowly, lazily, back to her human form. "Okay, sweetie-" Cameron growled. "Cameron. Alright, Cameron. This is the last question, okay? Then everything will be over." Cameron smiled. "Not that way. I meant..." He shook his head. "Never mind. Okay, question number five: What is your affiliation?"

Cameron blinked. "What?" she asked, still seething in anger.

"I mean…what side are you on?"

That stopped Cameron short. What side was she on? _This is the major question, _she thought. _This is when they decide whether to kill me right here and now, or leave me in the psycho ward for the rest of my life, however long that'd be._

So what side was she really on? If she said Decepticon, she'd be terminated immediately. Maybe be tortured, even. A part of her wanted to scream Decepticon, but the louder part of her mind told her to not say it. What have the Decepticons done for her anyway? Sure, Megatron told her about her true form and helped her control it, but what else? It all inevitably led to her being a fugitive. And now where was she? She was even forced, practically, to kill 58 of her species in order to deliver a little chip to Megatron that she hadn't even been told what it contained. And if she hadn't done that, she'd probably have been killed or downcast. They'd even tried to kill her planet twice before all this! No, the louder part reminded her to the fact that the Decepticons had done more damage to her-mentally and physically-than actual good.

But that part also wasn't so hot about answering with Autobot either. The Autobots had protected her planet and species, yes, but she's always found something a little off with them. What, she didn't know. She'd be iffy about joining them. Ever since the beginning, she'd been iffy about hanging around them. They gave off an aura that she didn't like. Her heart told her she didn't exactly like the Autobots, but her brain said that if she didn't say Autobots, she'd die.

So what should she say? If she said Decepticon, she'd guarantee her own death-probably slow and painful. But if she said Autobot-after all that she's done-she'd probably be laughed at in the face as she knew they'd know she'd just say that to save her own life. Which, when you think about it, could also mean her death.

So…which side was she on?

"Cameron?" asked the man in a soft voice. "You're thinking hard again, aren't you?" After a slight pause, he asked, "Cameron, what side are you on?"

A silence filled the air. You could practically feel the anticipation, watch every bead of sweat fall down Cameron's face, hear every thought being spoken aloud. The air was filled with a practical tangible uncertainness.

And then, after a few minutes of silence, Cameron whispered, "Neither."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Yayyy! Finally finished a story! XDDDDD <strong>

**Yep, 'Cameron' is over. Don't worry, there's going to be a sequel titled: Transformers: The Catalyst. If you thought 'Cameron' was a dark story, this one will be even darker as it goes more into the mythology of Transformers, meet new faces and see old ones, and the aftermath of Cameron and her life now. It most likely will be from her point of view, but it may switch views sometimes. I don't know when it'll be out. The first chapter may be out next week, but my family and I are in the middle of a move, and it's actually been a feat to just post this chapter. But, if you're interested in the sequel (dark, humorous, mythos), be on the lookout. XD**

**As for the last chapter, I forgot to explain a few things:**

** I included Tiara Smith because she had a big role here, obviously-telling Cameron to make herself known to the world, and a possibly even bigger role in the sequel. Lennox went because he wanted to and he had the authority to. Bumblebee went because of his history with her, and he wanted to see her again and give word to Sam about her (as they talk more frequently now, being described in the sequel.) The Wreckers went because they convinced Optimus to let them go, and kind of gave no one a choice as they wouldn't listen to anyone (again, being described more in the sequel, but they're more deadly and pissed than ever.) And Optimus went because he's, well, Optimus Prime, and if anything bad happened, he'd be there to right it. Oh and Ratchet attached his arm back. *cheers* And the reason that he shook his head no at the end is for the reader to decide and have their own opinions. I like doing things like that. XP**

**And yep Cameron's a neutral. Seems to fit her, eh? *not Canadian***

**So that's basically it. Special thanks to Rockubyebaby for the OC Tiara Smith! *claps hands* (btw you should look at her stories, they're fraggin' awesome). And another special thanks to Makkenna Witwicky (for all of you who don't know her or haven't read her stories, I feel bad for you) who helped me with ideas and the like. And a thanks to metalatronshelives for an OC in the sequel.**

**Thank you all who reviewed, faved, or alerted this sto**ry**! I really means a lot to me to get all of those reviews in my mailbox and all of those nice comments y'all made. I'm almost at 70 reviews, which is A LOT more than I'd think to get as a starter FanFiction story. I love you all! *hands you all raw chocolate chip cookie dough* Because who doesn't like 'da shit? XDD**

**I hope you liked the story! Please review (if you want). **

**Okay alright bi~ ;) 333**


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